


Nuts and Bolts

by FatherConnor



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android/Human Relations, Angst, Canon Divergance, F/M, Fluff, Swearing, contains spoilers, eventually
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-23
Updated: 2018-06-28
Packaged: 2019-05-27 05:02:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15017210
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FatherConnor/pseuds/FatherConnor
Summary: Androids weren't supposed to feel. They were machines.And yet when Connor and Lieutenant Anderson are tasked with finding an unaffiliated former Cyberlife employee and end up with her assigned to the deviant investigation, Connor becomes swept up not only in investigating deviants...But wondering if he has become one himself





	1. Chapter 1

Rain splattered the windows of Hank’s car as they came to a halt in front of the address.

Connor turned his head to examine the street; most of the buildings were run down and decrepit, painted in graffiti, the sidewalks littered with trash and broken glass, and a few run down and rusty cars parked in lots filled with a smattering of tall weeds. The street was abandoned, the only life here would be squatters and animals who usually called such buildings home.

The building they were supposed to enter from the outside looked much the same. The red-brown color paint was chipped in a few places, weeds grew from the cracks in the sidewalk, and the garage door was rusted. A quick scan indicated it was inoperable. As his eyes scanned over of the building, a slight shimmer caught his optical sensors. The window was stained and unclean, faded words reading “Westside Auto-Repair Shop”, and it was completely black. To a human eye, it would appear as abandoned as all the other buildings on the street. Connor leaned forward in his seat, noticing the shimmer was brighter near the top and bottom of the window. A projection. Someone was trying to hide something. A quick search of the records in his memory indicated this business had been closed for ten years. No one had purchased the building, meaning he had no idea who was inside. Lt. Anderson had refused to speak, so it was impossible for him to anticipate anything.

Lt. Anderson grumbled from the driver’s seat. He had been less than pleased to be assigned to find this “Android fixer”, as he had heard them referred to as. Connor assumed the lieutenant would have preferred to interrogate the Deviant and return to his home, but Captain Fowler had insisted they find them.

The lieutenant let out a loud sigh as he turned off the music and took a glance around the neighborhood. Connor watched him curiously as he carefully opened the door. He expected him to order him to remain in the car, but surprisingly Lt. Anderson leaned in, shook his head and grumbled. “Come on.”

Connor nodded and opened the car door on his side, stepping onto the sidewalk. He noted how Lt. Anderson was keeping his hand close to his gun and continuously checking the street for any movement or activity.

“Are you certain this is the right address, Lieutenant?”

“It’s what Fowler’s told me.” The lieutenant cautiously approached the door, turning the nob to find it not locked. He grumbled again and opened the door. Warm light suddenly flooded the dark and wet street as they both entered the supposedly abandoned building.

The room inside was small, but immaculate. Soft, pastel green chairs lined the walls closest to the front window and the wall next to it with a fake potted plant in the corner. A coffee table had a few magazines stacked perfectly in its center, pictures and paintings of landscapes completely level on the wall. A woman occupied one of those chairs, a cup of something in front of her obviously having never been touched. She was bent over, and Connor was unable to scan her face, but she seemed distraught. The lieutenant took notice of her but said nothing.

In the back of the small waiting room was a wooden counter and a door directly behind it. Shelves behind the counter were filled with boxes of small auto parts, however, many of the boxes were dusty and had most likely never been opened or moved. There was another door directly beside Connor that had its blinds drawn, and Connor assumed its purpose was an office of some kind.

“This building is registered as unowned, Lieutenant. Whoever is here is committing illegal occupancy…”.

“Yeah, I know.” The lieutenant let out an annoyed sigh, his attention focused solely on the door behind the counter.

“Then why are we here?” Connor quirked his head to the side.

“Fowler thinks she can help us. She’s supposedly some kind of… android specialist, or some shit like that.”

Connor hesitated as he processed the information. “Then she is being consulted on the deviancy case?”

“Something like that.” The lieutenant replied gruffly. Suddenly, the door in the back opened and they both visibly stiffened. An android walked out, its eyes down as it quietly closed the door behind it. It was around Connor’s height, a muscular build, short dark brown haired styled to perfection. It’s large, dark brown eyes watched them intently for a moment, a precision behind them that made the lieutenant stiffen under its gaze.  

Then something in its eyes shifted, the LED on its temple spinning in a steady blue. It smiled politely at the two, but it didn’t quite reach its eyes. “Hello. Welcome to Westside Repair Shop. How may I assist you?” It’s voice was smooth and welcoming. Probably a model built for customer service, but Connor didn’t recognize it as such. In fact, he didn’t recognize the model at all. A scan couldn’t find any identification for a make, or record that the android existed at all.  But what perplexed him the most was his inability to scan its biocomponents. Connor furrowed his eyebrows but the lieutenant payed him not attention.

The lieutenant shoved his hands in his pockets, jerking his chin up and rocking back and forth slightly. “Yeah, my android here has been acting a little funny. Heard you could help me fix that.” Confusion crossed Connor’s face but the other android seemed to take no notice. It nodded and gestured to a chair.

“Please, take a seat.” It turned and disappeared behind the door. The lieutenant grumbled something about androids before plopping down and crossing his arms. He glanced once more at the woman in the chair, and noticing she was still oblivious to her surroundings, the lieutenant shook his head, leaned back, and closed his eyes.

Connor’s systems went into investigative mode almost immediately. A more in depth scan didn’t bring up anything strange, everything had been scrubbed and cleaned to perfection. The android, he assumed, was responsible for that. He began to pace the small waiting room, feigning an interest in the paintings and interior decorating. While examining the perfect stacks of magazines on the table, his eyes caught a patch of blue on the floor. Bending down, Connor analyzed the substance. It was thirium, from a YK700 model. Recent. The model hadn’t been reported missing and belonged to a Lucy Green; no criminal record and currently unemployed. The picture displayed in the corner of his vision bore a striking resemblance to the woman hunched over in the chair.

“Lieutenant.”  Connor took the seat directly next to the lieutenant, eliciting a groan from the man. “I found traces of thirium under the table. I believe this could be an indication of some kind of illegal android activity.”

 “Yeah, that’s right.”

Connor shifted in his seat, leaning back in surprise. “Then Cyberlife must be alerted. Androids are only to be repaired by certified Cyberlife personnel. This operation is a direct violation of…”

 The lieutenant let out an angry breath of air.  “Yeah, yeah, I know. Just… shut up about it, ok?”

Connor opened his mouth to reply with something diplomatic when the door behind the counter slammed opened, the android from earlier having returned. It was holding the YK700 model in its arms.

The woman suddenly shot up, racing towards the counter in hysterics.

“Oh, Emma, oh sweet dear Emma.” She cried, clutching at the child android. The smaller android was handed to the woman without resistance and it clung to her neck. She looked up to the other android, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Thank you, thank you so much. I don’t know what I could have done without her.”  

The android smiled, nodding its head. But it was waiting for something.

The woman seemed to remember and a large wad of cash emerged from her jacket pocket. She handed it to the android, who quickly counted it, and finding the payment satisfactory, placed the money on the counter behind it. “We thank you for your business.”

The woman nodded in thanks once more, and still crying, clutched the android to her and carried her out of the shop.

Connor watched the whole exchange with fascination. Why had the woman not taken her android to a Cyberlife store for repairs?

The android moved silently over to the office door.

“She will see you now.”

The lieutenant tensed, but entered the office anyways.

The small office, like the waiting room, told Connor next to nothing about the occupant. There was hardly any decoration, everything was spotless and cleaned to perfection. There was a door to their side, leading into the back room where he assumed the repairs took place.

The lieutenant took a seat in one of the two chairs in front of the wooden desk, glancing around the room nervously. His hand had returned to his gun. Connor took a stance behind the lieutenant when the door to their left suddenly opened. It was the android again, and behind him was a woman.

She looked young, her wavy brown hair tied in a high, tight ponytail. She was dressed in a uniform that reminded him of an android’s: black and white and pressed to perfection.

_Name: Evangeline Anna Lanford_

_Born: February 15, 2010_

_Criminal Record: None_

_Employment History: Cyberlife, 3 years. Researcher. 2030-2033_

_Washington D.C. Police Department. 3 years. Specialist on Android Investigations 2033-2036_

_Currently unemployed._

Connor blinked as the woman made brief eye contact. Like her android assistant, her piercing blue eyes bored into the duo. She tilted her head curiously as the observed them before smiling politely. “Hello, my name is Evangeline.” She held out her hand to shake and the lieutenant took it cautiously.

“Lt. Anderson.” He shook, but the woman’s smile was unable to cut the thick tension. She took her own seat, the lieutenant returning to his own.

At first, no one said a word. She watched the two interestedly, before sighing and leaning back in her chair. “You can take your hand off your gun, Lieutenant.”

Connor watched as the lieutenant moved his hand away from the gun, but remained no less alert. “I’m guessing you know why I’m here.”

“Of course.” She replied, nonchalantly. “I’ve seen the news reports.”

* * *

 

An awkward silence followed, the only sound being the quiet tick of the clock on the wall.

“A nice android you have there.” Evangeline nodded towards the RK800 model behind the lieutenant. “A prototype designed to assist in your investigation of deviants, I’m assuming.”

The lieutenant didn’t seem surprised at her knowledge of this, but the android behind him did. “How did you know of our investigation?”  
               “Well, why else would you be here? David already scanned both of you. I knew who you were before you even walked through the door.” Evangeline watched them both for a reaction, but finding none, sighed and leaned forward. “You’re obviously not here to arrest me, and your supervisor already called and told me of the situation.” The android stiffened. “I’ve already agreed to help you.”

“Of fucking course Fowler did.” The lieutenant muttered under his breath, getting up angrily from his seat and walking towards the door. He didn’t seem too pleased. Obviously, he believed he had better things to do. The android behind him didn’t move at all. “If you already know everything, then I’d rather we leave.”

“Of course.” Evangeline stood, wiping her clothes. “I have a few things to clean up here, and then I will meet you outside.” She rummaged through the desk as the lieutenant opened the door and left. The android, however, remained.

* * *

 

As the conversation progressed, Connor became more intrigued by the woman.  Her credentials were impressive, and she had obvious experience with deviants. So why had she not sought employment with the Detroit Police, or gone back to Cyberlife? And her android…

Evangeline looked up from the pad she had been studying in seeing Connor still standing there. “Is there something you need?”

Connor thought on the question but just as he opened his mouth, the lieutenant called.

“Connor!” he moved his head in the direction of the sound but didn't take his eyes off the woman. The lieutenant was already halfway out the door when he noticed the missing android. “You coming?”

His eyes didn't leave the woman’s who smiled awkwardly. “Something tells me you shouldn’t keep him waiting.” A pause. “Connor.”

“Yes, Lieutenant.” He replied. With one last glance at the woman, Connor turned and walked through the door.

* * *

 

The car ride to the station was shorter than he expected. Evangeline preoccupied herself with the report on the Carlos Ortiz case, and the lieutenant refused to speak. Connor had taken the time to search his records to see if he could find more on this Evangeline.

She graduated from university in Detroit with a degree in android engineering while simultaneously doing an internship for Cyberlife. She worked for the company for three years before being let go for undisclosed reasons. After that, she worked for the Washington D.C. Police department on all android related cases with great success before suddenly quitting. It has been two years since her residency in Detroit, but there was no evidence she ever sought or received legal employment. She had dedicated all her time to her illegal android operation, which was her only probable source of income. Although suspicious as to her intentions, the Detroit Police department believed her to be valuable, and her knowledge of deviants could be useful.  He also wondered if Amanda knew of her. He’d have to ask the next time they talked. 

At the current moment, he, Gavin, an officer named Chris, and Evangeline were watching the lieutenant try to interrogate the deviant responsible for Carlos Ortiz’s death. His attention was divided between watching the lieutenant try and fail to get the deviant to say anything and Evangeline, who watched the whole ordeal intently. She hadn’t said a word since the interrogation started, nor had she torn her eyes from the deviant. She seemed to be studying it, though for what Connor couldn’t surmise.

A loud crash brought his attention back to the interrogation. The lieutenant, frustrated, had banged his fists on the table, demanding the deviant say something. When it refused, the lieutenant loudly exclaimed his anger, joining the others in the interrogation room.

"We’re wasting our time interrogating a machine, we’re getting’ nothing out of it!”

“Could always try roughin’ up a little. After all, it’s not human.” Gavin suggested with a smirk.

“Androids don’t feel pain. You would only damage it.” Connor stated matter of factly. “And that wouldn’t make it talk. Deviants also have a tendency to self-destruct when they’re in stressful situations.” 

Evangeline shifted her weight. “That’s not true.”

“What?” Gavin pushed himself from the wall.

“It can’t feel pain, but it can feel fear. Look at those markings.” She pointed towards the deviant’s arm, the occupants in the room squinting to try and make out what she meant. “Those on his arm, they’re cigarette burns. The holes on the head, they were made from some kind of tool.” Connor watched her surprised, before focusing back on the deviant. A quick scan indicated… she was right. The deviant’s forearm was covered in cigarette burns dating back to over 16 months, and the marks on his forehead were from needles, knives, and screwdrivers. She was quite perceptive.

“And, what’s your point?”

Connor noted there had been some level of recognition between the two. They knew each other, but he was not interested in the details.

“My point is, this android has been abused. He was acting in self-defense when he killed Ortiz.”

Before, Connor had believed Evangeline had simply made a mistake in referring to the android as “he” instead of it. It was a machine after all. Yet, she had just repeatedly referred to the deviant as if it were alive, as if the feelings it was having were rational, understandable. Why would she think that? She should know better than anyone they were just machines.

“Oh, well, if you know so much, then why don’t you interrogate him?” Gavin spit sarcastically.

“Ortiz has made him distrustful of humans. He won’t talk to me.”

Gavin shook his head in disbelief. “Okay, then. You’re the android expert. What should we do?” He was now looming over the shorter woman who clenched her jaw as they met eye to eye.

“I could try questioning it.” Connor interjected.

Evangeline glanced between Connor and the deviant, but ultimately agreed. “That’s a good idea.”

Gavin scoffed before suddenly leaning his head back and laughing. Connor didn’t understand what was so funny about the suggestion.

The lieutenant, shrugged, sighing. “What do we have to lose?” Gavin’s laughter suddenly stopped. “Go ahead. Suspect’s all yours.”

Connor nodded in acknowledgment, ignoring the glares from Gavin as he took on last look at the deviant before leaving the room.

Once inside the interrogation room, he took the seat opposite to the deviant. From here, he could see all the markings much easier, its LED also indicating program instability. He decided to open with that.

"I detect an instability in your program. It can trigger an unpleasant feeling, like fear in humans.” He remained silent for a moment, waiting for a response. The deviant, like before, didn’t move or speak. Connor decided to try again.

“You’re damaged.” He glanced at the various wounds briefly, before back to the deviants face. “Did your owner do that? Did he beat you?” Again, no answer. Noting the obvious wasn’t helping. However, this was a deviant. One created on fear. Fear drove it to kill. Maybe fear would give him an answer.

“You’ve refused to talk since they arrested you. If you don’t cooperate, they’ll do things the hard way. Is that what you want?” Nothing. Here, a human might start getting angry. They would yell and threaten, maybe even attack the deviant. It worked sometimes on humans. But this was a machine. It was different than humans. The same threats wouldn’t work here. But there was something androids could do that humans couldn’t.

“If you won’t talk, I’m going to have to probe your memory.”

“No!” the deviant’s head sprung up, it’s eyes wide. “No, please don’t do that!...” _Interesting_. The deviant was breathing hard, its eyes darting around the room, resting on the one way mirror before staring blankly at a spot on the floor. “What are they going to do with me?” Connor remained silent as the deviant still refused to make eye contact, studying its reactions.

“They’re gonna destroy me, aren’t they?” It finally met Connor’s gaze, its eyes filled with an imitation of fear. Connor knew the deviant would be destroyed once it had given all it knew. But it was already under enough stress. Too much, and it may self-destruct.

“No.” Connor shook his head. “I think they just want to understand. They know your master abused you. It wasn’t your fault.” Sympathy, his programming indicated, was a powerful tool towards emotional beings. Maybe it would work here. 

“Why did you tell them you found me?” Connor didn’t answer. “Why couldn’t you have just left me there?”

He didn’t take his eyes off the deviant who looked back down at the table. “I was programmed to hunt deviants like you. I just accomplished my mission.”

It shook its head, looking back up to him. “I don’t want to die.”

“Then talk to me.”

“I…” It paused as it searched for words. Connor noted it trembling. “I… can’t.”

It hunched over once more. No. He had been wrong before. Stress was the key, he needed to push it farther.

“If you don’t talk, they’re going to tear you apart and analyze you piece by piece.” He leaned forward, until he was close enough he could make out every pore in the deviant’s face. “They’re going to destroy you. Do you understand?” No response. A different approach was needed. “Ok then, don’t talk.” He leaned back, keeping his eyes on the deviant. “What do I care, after all? I mean,” He leaned forward again, “I’m not the one accused of murder, right? If you remain silent, there is nothing I can do to help you. They’re going to shut you down for good. You’ll be dead. Do you hear me? Dead!” The deviant didn’t respond. Connor let out a sigh, shaking his head and glancing back at the mirror.

“He tortured me every day.”

A calm had suddenly descended over the room. His eyes darted back to find it had stopped trembling. It stared blankly down at the table in resigned defeat. _Now I have you._  

“I did whatever he told me, but there was always something wrong.” He lifted his head to finally stare Connor in the eye. “Then one day… he took a bat and started hitting me. For the first time, I felt... Scared. Scared he might destroy me, scared I might die… So I grabbed a knife and stabbed him in the stomach. I felt better, so I stabbed him again. And again. Until he collapsed. There was blood everywhere.”

Fear, terror, satisfaction. These were all human emotions born from disobeying the human’s orders. But how was it possible that it had broken free from its programming? It was a machine, it shouldn’t be able to think or feel beyond what Cyberlife had programmed it to do. Connor recalled the scene of the crime, the sculpture in the bathroom… RA9… maybe those had something to do with it. 

But he already had his confession… and yet, maybe this RA9 was the key to the rise in deviancy. Knowing the answer would be pertinent to his investigation.  He asked, the deviant, but all he received was vague answers. It believed it to be some sort of savior that would free them from their servitude to humans. But it didn’t make sense to Connor. They were only machines, their purpose was to serve and obey humans. Not fight them or rule over them. This was not just an instance of program instability. Deviancy didn’t promote the worship of gods. A virus, maybe?

Everyone entered the room after he announced his conclusion. Gavin and Chris walked past him without a word as the lieutenant and Evangeline watched the scene unfold. As the officer tried to cuff the deviant, it jerked away from him, rocking back and forth.

“Leave me alone! Don’t touch me.”

“The fuck are you doing? Move it!” Gavin shouted to Chris.

“Okay.” He held up his arms defensively, resuming his struggle with the deviant. Stress would cause the deviant to self-destruct. If Connor didn’t intervene, they’d lose everything it knew.

“You shouldn’t touch it. It’ll self-destruct if it feels threatened.”

“Stay out of this, got it? No fuckin’ android is gonna tell me what to do.” Gavin hissed.

“You don’t understand. It self-destructs, we won’t get anything out of it!”

“I told you to shut your fuckin mouth!” Gavin shot back, his patience wearing thin. “Chris, you gunna move this asshole, or what?”

“I’m trying.” He groaned as he tried to force the android from his seat.

“He’s right.” Evangeline’s voice was firm as she stepped from behind the lieutenant. Both officers seemed surprised at her brazen action towards the most despised man in the force. “I don’t think you want to be the one explaining why you let evidence be destroyed, Gavin.”

“Are you threatening me?” Gavin ground his teeth together as he spoke, beginning to stalk towards her as a predator did with its corned prey. But Evangeline refused to back down.

“No, I’m just saying you’re not thinking this through.” Their eyes locked momentarily before she brushed past him towards the deviant.

“Hey!” Gavin grabbed her arm. Connor, sensing an opportunity, pushed past Gavin and forced the officer off the deviant.

“I can’t let you do that. Leave it alone, now!”

Gavin released Evangeline’s arm and pulled his gun.

“I warned you, motherfucker!”

“That’s enough.” Hank warned.

“Mind your own business, Hank.” Gavin spit between gritted teeth.

“I said…” Hank pulled his own gun from its holster, directly in line to imbed a bullet in the detective’s skull if the lieutenant so well pleased. “That’s enough.”

Gavin’s eyes switched between Connor, whose head was pressing against the barrel of his gun, and the lieuteants. A second of tense silence passed as Gavin weighed his options.

“Fuck.” His rage burst forth, but ultimately he holstered his weapon. He pointed an accusing finger at Hank. “You’re not gonna get away with it this time.” Then, he turned around and slammed his shoulder into Evangeline’s as he angrily stalked out of the room. “Fuck!”

Once he was gone, everyone stood in silence, forgetting for a moment about the deviant in the corner. Evangeline was the first to move in its direction, brushing past Connor.  

 “Wait…” Connor tried to grab her but she was already kneeling in front of it.

“Are you ok?” It didn’t respond, still rocking gently back and forth. “It’s over. They’re not going to hurt you anymore.” She offered her hand to the deviant. It watched her suspiciously as she smiled softly. “It’s alright. I won’t hurt you.”

Connor watched with rapt fascination as it gently took her hand, helping it stand. Her eyes locked with his and she nodded slowly.

Connor turned to the officer. “Please, don’t touch it. Let it follow you out of the room and it won’t cause any trouble.”

The officer glanced at the deviant, but acknowledged Connor’s warning and walked out of the room, the deviant following behind. It stopped momentarily in front of Connor.

“The truth is inside.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, Chapter 1!  
> Gavin being a jerk as usual and Connor being a good detective.  
> Just an extra formatting thing: there will three points of view in this Fic, Evangeline, Connor, and David, who has yet to have a proper introduction. The horizontal breaks represent a view switch , it may be obvious but for anyone confused that's what that is!  
> EDITS: I have edited the chapter to make it a bit easier to read!  
> Comments are Appreciated!


	2. Chapter 2

The garden where Connor met Amanda appeared the same as it always had. The trees were in bloom, warm, clear water flowing through the small creek separating the central island from the rest of the paradise. Doves flew up in front of him to avoid his steps as he walked between them and over the white, geometrical bridge. He found Amanda where he always did; in the center, tending to her roses.

               “Hello, Amanda.”

               “Connor.” Her voice was soft and even, a warm smile spreading across her face. “It’s good to see you.”

               He smiled at the familiar face. Amanda had always been with him; since he had been assembled she was his connection to Cyberlife, the one he sought advice from and reported on the success of his missions.

               “Congratulations, Connor. Finding that deviant was far from easy,” She gently plucked a rose from wall, taking a moment to admire it before placing it down on the table beside her. “And the way you interrogated it was very clever. You’ve been remarkably efficient, Connor.”

               A warm feeling spread through him at the praise. “Thank you, Amanda.”

               “We’ve asked the DPD to transfer it to us for further study. It may teach us something about what happened.” She paused. “The interrogation seemed…. Challenging… What did you think of the deviant?”

               “It showed all the signs of deviancy.” Connor replied without thinking. “Cognitive instability, unpredictable behavior, and the emulation of human emotions. It was even afraid to die. The model was clearly defective.” He concluded.

               “This, Lt. Anderson has been officially assigned to the deviancy case. What do you make of him?”

               Connor thought on the answer for a moment. Honestly, he was unsure quiet of what to make of this human. He knew there was no point in lying to Amanda so he answered honestly. “He’s obviously not what I was expecting, but, I don’t have enough information yet to form a definitive opinion.” Amanda didn’t seem displeased with the answer.

               “Unfortunately, we have no choice but to work with him. What do you think is the best approach?”

               “I will adapt to his personality. It is in the best interest of the investigation that I avoid conflict and try to accommodate his psychology.” She did not immediately face him. Instead, she turned around slowly, her displeasure obvious. It was not the approach she was looking for.

But, there was something else on her mind. She turned back to her roses. “And what of Ms. Lanford?”

               Connor paused. At this point, he didn’t really have an opinion on the woman. She was dedicated to her job and easy enough to work with. “She’s proven to be observant and incredibly efficient. She will be a useful asset to the investigation.”

               Amanda didn’t respond or move at first. She seemed to be thinking for a moment before she turned around. 

               “More and more androids show signs of deviancy. There are millions in circulation. If they become unstable, the consequences will be disastrous.” Her steps took on a slow calculated pace that froze Connor to the floor. “You are the most advanced prototype Cyberlife has ever created. If anyone can figure out what’s happening, it’s you.”

               Connor nodded slightly. “You can count on me Amanda.”

She began to walk away before she stopped, her eyes boring into his. “Hurry Connor. There’s little time.” Then as quickly as he had arrived, his connection was broken.

* * *

 

               Evangeline blinked her eyes a few times, sighing deeply before opening the doors to the Detroit Police Department. It had been a building she had attempted to avoid since arriving, and now she was here; although thankfully not as a prisoner.

               David would have already repaired as many as he could and left the shop. It wasn’t like he stayed there no matter what she told him; he came and went as he saw fit. Last night’s deviant had not been the first of its kind, Evangeline had seen more like that pass through her doors than anyone else in that room. But admitting her role in the smuggling of deviants… no matter what the police believed they knew of her, that offense would land her somewhere she didn’t want to go. And she had no intention of revealing that fact any time soon.

               As she waited in line, her eyes roamed over the bustle of the station. Humans mingled with android attendants, but most seemed to pay them no attention at all, as if they were fixtures to the room instead of the ones who kept the station running smoothly. She sighed as the person in front of her left the counter and she approached. The female android smiled kindly.

               “How may I help you?”

               “I’m here to see Captain Fowler.” She responded calmly.   
               “Do you have authorization?” Evangeline nodded politely as she reached into her pocket, producing a thin plastic ID card. 

               “Here.” She handed the card over to the android. It’s LED spun yellow briefly before handing it back to her.

               “Captain Fowler is ready to see you. Please meet him in his office as soon as possible.” The android motioned to the entrance to the rest of the station, and Evangeline nodded politely in thanks. Taking a deep breath, she walked through the sliding glass door into the rest of the station. It was early, so there was only a token android guard and even fewer people. Most were stumbling in from last night’s case with only a few hours of sleep, cups of coffee on almost every desk. A glass office at the back housed Captain Fowler, the man she was supposed to meet and the one who supposedly recommended her for the investigation in the first place. She made her way quickly and silently through the maze of desk and up the ramp to the large, glass office, knocking gently on the glass door.

               The captain looked up, and finding her waiting there, motioned her to come in. He stood from behind his desk and walked around to shake her hand.

               “Ms. Lanford, a pleasure to meet you.”

               “Thank you.” She shook it and smiled awkwardly. He gestured to a seat in front of his desk as he returned to his. She waited for him to sit before she did so.

               “Ms. Lanford, I assume you know why I called you here.”

               _Right to business it is then._ “Yes.” She replied. “The deviant problem.”

               The captain nodded, leaning forward in his chair and threading his fingers together. “An old friend in Washington recommended I contact you. You were the country’s foremost expert on criminal deviant cases. He thought you could help with the investigation.”

               “Ah, Captain Richardson.” She chuckled, the old man was still kicking then. “Who am I disagree with him?”  She shrugged, Captain Fowler chuckling.

               “You’re official title will be “Consultant on all Deviancy Cases”. You’ll be working with Lieutenant Anderson and his android. I assume you’ve met them?”

               “Yes. They came to pick me up last night.” She replied, remembering the gruff man and the prototype.

               “Good. Given you’ve already received the proper training and worked extensively in the field, I assume you can accompany the lieutenant in any reports we receive?” He raised his eyebrows as he began typing into his monitor.

               “Yes. It should be no problem.” She smiled politely again.

               “Excellent. You’ll be given the proper clearance and a badge sometime today. You can take that desk over there, behind the lieutenant’s.” He pointed without glancing at the closest desk to the office. “There are around 200 case files for you to look through. I suggest you get an early start. He might be damn good at his job but Lt. Anderson is a… bit... difficult.”

               “I understand.” Evangeline stood, straightening herself. “I’ll get to work right away.”

                Captain Fowler didn’t say a word, and instead just grunted, which Evangeline took as her que it was time to leave. He didn't look up as she left, closing the door silently behind her. Her eyes roamed over every detail in the office, and with a sigh, she made her way over to her desk. Today was going to be a long one.

* * *

 

               It wasn’t until close to 12 that Evangeline began to feel the pain in her neck, her legs begging to move and do something. Lt. Anderson still had yet to show, although Connor had wandered into the office a few minutes earlier. Unable to sit still, he’d begun to do laps the office, examining everything with a critical eye, collecting as much information as possible. A part of his programming, she assumed. He was a fascinating android, to say the least. He was smarter, quicker, and stronger than any other, and watching him interrogate the deviant proved to her he was far more intelligent than any other android she’d ever interacted with. Well, almost.

She’d finished reading most of the reports. They were similar cases to the one from last night; android’s showing signs of deviancy usually in instances where repeated abuse was common. Some, however, were a bit stranger. An android who recently killed his owner, an elderly painter, who many described as kind and smart. The painter apparently cared deeply for the android, but his son claimed the android had killed him. He had been sent to the scrap yard regardless of whether he was innocent or not. An injustice, in her opinion.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. Having missed her daily intake of caffeine, she decided to make her way to the break room. She’d avoided it in the first place because Gavin had chosen to loiter there, but she needed her coffee.

               She still couldn’t believe she’d put up with his shit for as long as she had. Three months, five days, and 17 hours of dealing with Gavin fucking Reed.

 As she rounded the corner, she could hear him speaking.

               “A prototype.” He mocked. “Android detective… So machines gunna, replace us all… is that it?”

               He was speaking to Connor in that same condescending tone he took on whenever he felt like being an ass more than he usually was. So, pretty much always.

               But she didn’t hear Connor reply.

               “Hey. Bring me a coffee, dipshit.”

               No answer.

               “Get a move on!” Again, Connor refused to move. “I gave you an order!”

               “I’m sorry, but I only take orders from Lieutenant Anderson.”

               He was gonna be a confrontational prick, and she damn well knew it. So she took a breath and stepped out from behind the corner. “Leave him alone, Gavin.”

               Gavin, upon seeing her back away from Connor. “Look who it is.” He grinned smugly. “The bitch who cares more about these plastic pricks than humans.”

               “Fuck off, Gavin, or so help me…” Evangeline grit her teeth, but Gavin cut her off with a tch.

“Or what?” he chuckled. “Make me.” Before she could stop him, he slammed his fist into Connor’s stomach, right where his thirium pump was. He groaned as he fell to the ground, supporting himself on one of his knees.

               “If Hank hadn’t got in the way yesterday, I would’ve fucked you up for disobeying a human.”

               She’d had enough. “Hey,” she grabbed his arm and shoved him away from Connor. “I said fuck off.”  

               “Don’t you fucking touch me.” He roughly yanked his arm away from her. The officer he’d been drinking with was watching him cautiously. He couldn't make a scene, and they both knew it. So all he did was eye her angrily.

               “You two better stay out of my way. Because next time, you won’t get off so easy.” He pointed a finger at them both before angrily storming away, the cop following closely behind him.  Once she was sure he was gone, she quickly bent down to help Connor.

               “He didn’t hurt you too much, did he?” She asked, gently placing a hand over his thirium pump. It didn’t seem to be damaged. Thankfully. “He’s an ass.” She said, shaking her head.

               “I’m alright, ma’am.” He replied curtly. She hadn’t realized her hand was still on his abdomen, until he used his own to gently remove it. He stood up, brushing off his jacket and straightening his tie. She swallowed and blinked, following suit quickly.

               “Oh, good.” She glanced around the break room nervously. Now devoid of one prick and said prick’s friend, she could get her morning coffee in peace. Except for the fact she now had an android watching her every move, probably analyzing her as she did so. She wondered just how much information he had access to in that head of his. She was curious, and she couldn't stand the silence. Small talk, then.

               “Are you waiting on Lt. Anderson?” she asked, glancing over her shoulder as she continued to make her coffee.

               “Yes. He supposedly only arrives when he feels the need to.”

               “Oh.” She replied, taking a seat at one of the empty chairs. Noting how he hadn’t moved, Evangeline had another idea. “Would you like to sit down, Connor?”

               “Oh. If you wouldn’t mind…”

               “No, no, it’s no problem at all. Please, have a seat.” She motioned to the empty chair in front of her. He took the seat, folding his hands in his lap. He tried not to stare directly at her, instead his eyes roamed around the room absently before finally coming back to examine her face. She kept her eyes down on her coffee and drank, trying to make the situation less awkward than it already was.

               “So… Uh, you’re a prototype, an RK800.” She looked back down at her coffee.

               “Yes. I’m their most advanced prototype to date with advanced technologies designed specifically to assist investigators on cases involving androids.” It was an automated reply, probably one given without even thinking about it. Evangeline nodded and took another sip of her coffee. She realized she really had no idea how to start a conversation with Connor. What would they even talk about? 

               “Can I ask you a personal question, Ms. Lanford?”

               She jumped a little at the reminder of his presence. “Uh… sure. Anything you like.”

               “Last night, with the deviant… you continuously referred to it as a “he”.” He cocked his head to the side, the action reminding her of a curious puppy.

               “Yeah, I did.” She replied, taking another sip.        

               “Why?” He furrowed his eyebrows and leaned closer. “Most humans prefer to refer to androids as “it”, an indication they are only machines.”

               _Ah, shit_.  “Well, I prefer to use pronouns because it makes it easier for me.” She lied. “Androids are just so lifelike, I sometimes forget.” Her eyes darted to the window as she sipped her coffee nervously.

               “I find that hard to believe.” Connor replied.

               “And why’s that?” She asked, turning back to the android.

               “Records indicate you’ve spent a significant period of time working with androids. You should understand that we’re just machines.”

               “Yeah, maybe I should.” She responded bitterly. She didn't like being told what to think. Seems this android didn’t have access to her Cyberlife records, thank God, or else these questions would be much different.  “But I have my own opinions on the subject…” she trailed off in noticing the lieutenant finally wander into the office. “And I think your friend’s just arrived.”

               Connor twisted his head and upon noticing the lieutenant, shot out of his chair. He straightened his jacket and readjusted his tie as Evangeline finished off the last of her coffee. He began walking out of the break room when he suddenly stopped and turned around.

               “Thank you, Ms. Lanford. This talk was very informative.” He nodded.

               _Oh, shit._ “You’re welcome, Connor. Have a good day.” She smiled politely but it transformed into a scowl the moment he was out of view. “Shit.” _That went poorly. Well, if the DPD was already aware of what I did… then Cyberlife is… oh fuck._ She clenched the coffee cup tighter. She was only safe as long as she was working on the investigation. But Connor… she couldn’t tell him anything. If he knew more than she had already told him, she was going to get a lot of good people hurt, probably even killed. Wasn’t like she’d had a choice; either the DPD asked nicely or she got a raid and David would probably do something stupid then they’d all get killed. She had to be careful. With one final huff, she hoped off the tall chair and threw her cup away.

               On her way back to her desk, she passed Captain Fowler’s office. The lieutenant and the captain were in some sort of yelling match while Connor stood silently behind them. He noticed her, and upon making eye contact, gave a reassuring smile. She pretended not to notice.

Upon plopping down in her chair, her monitor displayed a multitude of notifications. There were more reports waiting for her, and with a sigh, she began to review them. More assaults, another homicide, same old same old.

               “Well what do you expect when you treat them like garbage?” She muttered under her breath, he mood worsening as she continued to scroll. Suddenly, the lieutenant stormed out of Fowler’s office, muttering a multitude of curses that would have gotten an officer fired on the spot. He harrumphed, crossing his arms, and although she had yet to turn around, she could tell he was glaring at her. Lovely.

Connor was still inside, but he didn't seem to say anything. He excused himself quietly and made his way over to the lieutenant’s desk, stopping briefly in front of her.

“I’m pleased we will be working together, Ms. Lanford. I’m sure Cyberlife will be very thankful for your assistance on this case.”

               She glanced up. Connor had a polite smile tugging at the corner of his upturned lips that made it hard for her to be cold. “As am I.” she replied, awkwardly attempting to return the favor. It seemed to placate this androids social relations program, turning around to talk to the lieutenant.

 As the cases began loading on her monitor, she took a quick glance over her shoulder and found Connor waiting patiently for the lieutenant to acknowledge his presence. This had been a bad; no it had been a terrible idea.

               She shook her head as she continued to review the cases. “I am so fucking screwed.”                  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to Chapter 2! Sorry, the next few chapters might move a little slow as I introduce the characters and the story is just picking up. I promise it'll (hopefully) be more exciting in the future! <3  
> EDITS: I have edited it to make it easier to read!  
> Comments are Appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

Standing in the rain on the off chance a deviant cleaning android was loitering around was not Evangeline’s first idea of an exciting case. The motel it had been spotted near was mostly deserted, and she could swear there was something living in the pool. Most of the other cops lining the street didn’t seem to mind the cold and rain, but a few were grumbling about “fucking androids and that kind of crap”; Lieutenant Anderson seeming to be among them.

Connor hadn’t said a word since she’d arrived, the fact he was getting drenched not factoring into any of his calculations. It was sort of unnerving, watching him like that. He didn’t move, barely blinked, and she swore his breathing emulator was turned off. He was focused on his mission and that was all that mattered to him.

Evangeline sighed as she glanced around the street and decided to follow Connor’s lead and focus on the investigation. This android was an AX400 model. It supposedly had attacked its owner and run off in the night. On the surface, it was just another violent deviant randomly assaulting someone. However, it hadn’t taken long for Evangeline to find some… additional information. The man who reported the missing android had been fired over three years ago for aggravated assault from his job at a construction company. He’d hired an android after to take care of him, and it had recently been returned to a Cyberlife store for extensive repairs. The report said she had been damaged in “an accident”, but Evangeline had spent enough time listening to the same old shit to know what a lie it was. The damage was consistent with an assault, not being hit by a truck, and she wouldn’t put it past this Todd to try it again. This Android, if it had attacked, had done so in self-defense and was running to protect itself. Maybe if she could contact David… he could find her and send her on to Rose. But she could only do that if she could throw Connor and the police off her scent…

“Ms. Lanford.”

“Hmm, what?” Her head shot up to find Connor watching her. He was currently holding open the door of the motel, halfway into the building and sopping wet.  

“The lieutenant wishes to question the owner on possible deviant activity in the area. Given you are also assigned to this case, I thought it would be best for you to accompany us.” He paused, studying her for a moment. “And you seemed to be cold. Inside will be much warmer and out of the rain.”

Evangeline took a large breath. She was in fact, freezing and yes, she would have preferred to stay out of the rain, but something about Connor seemingly caring was a bit off putting.

_You can’t demonize him. It’s not his fault Cyberlife designed him to do this._

“Ms. Lanford?” he asked again. “Are you alright?”

She realized she’d been staring at him… well, not really at him, more like staring into space and he happened to be in the way. “Yes, Connor I’m fine.” She finally used her feet and moved into the small front office as Connor closed the door behind her. He had been right; it was much warmer in here.

The lieutenant huffed a sigh as he pulled out his badge. He’d been watching the exchange but didn’t seem to really care, just annoyed it had taken them so long. “Lieutenant Anderson, Detroit Police.” He introduced gruffly to the older man behind the counter. “We're looking for a female android, robbed a store down the road last night. You see anything?”

“An android? No. I don’t take androids here.”

Connor held up his hand and an image appeared of the AX400 model. “Have you seen anyone that looks like this?”

The owner glanced at it for only a moment, but the recognition was clear. “Fuck. I knew there was something weird about her… She came last night – she was dressed normal, you know… There was no way I could tell.”

 _She’s smart, good at hiding, and adapting. Good_. Evangeline thought as she watched the exchange progress. It was one of the first rules she taught to the deviant’s who passed through her doors. Do as the humans do.

“Is it still here?” the lieutenant asked.

“Yeah, probably, Room 28.” The owner pointed to the rooms in the back, Evangeline glancing over. The lights were out and the curtains drawn tight. She hoped the android had noticed and was long gone by then. 

               “Thank you.” The lieutenant was faster than he looked. Before she could even turn around, he’d already slammed open the door and sent a call for backup.

               Her eyes widened. If the android hadn’t got out…. _Shit, shit, shit._ Her feet seemed to be moving all on their own accord as she caught the door and stepped back out onto the sidewalk.

* * *

 

               Connor watched as both humans adopted a heightened sense of attention, although Evangeline’s was different than the lieutenant’s; why, Connor couldn’t quite place.

 He followed Evangeline out of the office. She seemed… distressed. She was chewing a thumbnail, pacing back and forth. It was curious… but all human’s had their quirks. Maybe it was her way of processing the information.

 He glanced up to the second floor and quickly found the door marked “28”. His investigative abilities would be more valuable at the scene, so he decided to start there. However, before he was even able to make it to the stairs, the lieutenant moved to block his path.

“You wait in the car.” He ordered.

Not an option. The mission came first and he would not stop when he was so close to the deviant. But confrontation with the lieutenant would make his task more difficult, so he opted for a more diplomatic approach.

“I think it’s best if I go with you.” He began cautiously. The lieutenant did not seem to agree.

“Listen,” he spit angrily. “I’m tired of you talkin’ back to me. You’re a machine, so shut the fuck up and do what I say!” Connor titled his head at the lieutenant, deciding to remain calm.

“All I want is to accomplish my mission. I’m sorry if that upsets you.”

The lieutenant grit his teeth and stepped closer to Connor, although he continued to hold his ground. “Wanna see the end of your mission? Stop busting my fucking balls…” The lieutenant didn’t wait or glance behind him to see if Connor was following as he stormed out into the rain.

The lieutenant certainly was an… interesting character. He assumed his difficulty was an added challenge, an intentional choice by Cyberlife to see whether his model could adapt to a multitude of partners no matter their personality. Although it was his mission to find and stop deviants, finding a way to develop a positive or at least professional relationship with the lieutenant would be valuable for any future models and would make the investigation much more efficient. Therefore, he followed closely behind the lieutenant, jogging up the stairs as they made their way to room 28.

* * *

 

               Evangeline watched Connor follow Lt. Anderson, even after getting chewed out for not following orders and talking back. He was a strange android indeed, but he had dedication. Probably just his mission overriding whatever conflicting orders the lieutenant gave.

               As the lieutenant pulled his gun and slammed open the door, Evangeline couldn’t help but smile a little as she pressed send on the text she’d written. Hopefully David would be able to help, but it all depended on where he was. Hell, half the time _she_ didn’t even know where he was, much less what he was doing.

               She slipped her phone back into her pocket as the lieutenant angrily slammed past Connor. So it hadn’t just been a trick of the light. “Run, whoever you are. Just run.” She whispered as she approached the angry lieutenant.

               “Ah, the fucking thing took off already.” He rubbed the back of his head as he continued to walk towards his car.

               “Any ideas on where it went?”

               “Quick! They’re over here!” An officer down the street shouted just as the woman she’d seen earlier pushed him and began to run.

               _Shit._

“Which way did to go?” Connor suddenly sprinted up beside her, a cop directing him down the street.

               “That way – they’re headed for the train station!”

It didn’t even process for her that Connor had already started sprinting down the street until he was already halfway to the alleyway they’d disappeared into. She couldn’t let him catch the android, but he was smart; he would catch on immediately if she tried to interfere and mislead him. But if she didn’t… the android would be killed for defending itself. But if she did, then Cyberlife would…

“Fuck.” She hissed as she sprinted off down the street after Connor.

* * *

 

Connor didn’t really have lungs. Androids “breathing” was just an imitation to make humans more comfortable, so he didn’t need a constant intake of air to run as they did. So he never got tired. In catching humans, it made it much easier, since they would eventually become fatigued and make mistakes. With androids however, they could run and run and run and no human would ever be able to catch them through shear speed alone.

But Connor wasn’t a human. He was an android with advanced strength, speed, and intelligence which made him superior in every way to the deviant he was currently chasing. Yes, he would catch them and Amanda would congratulate him on a job well done.

He skidded to a stop in front of the alleyway, a police officer frantically gesturing down the alleyway, “They’re over there!”

Connor’s head snapped in the direction the officer was pointing, only to find the android climbing over the fence with what appeared to be a small girl. He didn’t even have to think as he sprinted down the alleyway, but he was too slow. The android landed with a thud on the wet mud on the other side, leading Connor to slam into the wire fence and for the first time, he met the deviant eye to eye.

It was an AX400 model. It had changed its hair color to white and dressed itself in human clothes, probably stolen. They locked eyes, it blinked, but it didn’t move.

 _Why? Why disobey? RA9, does it know anything about RA9?_ He wondered in that split second as the rain fell and the cars on the highway sped by.

The momentary pause was broken the instant the cop from before pulled its gun and aimed it at the deviant.

 _No! If you kill it I won’t have answers!_ Connor thought frantically as he put up his hand and prepared to climb the fence. “Don’t shoot! We need it alive!”

What was akin to fear flashed through the deviants eyes before it suddenly turned around and slid down the muddy slope, ignoring the warning, and fleeing straight onto the highway.

* * *

 

               “Oh fuck, that’s insane!” A very out of breath lieutenant exclaimed as he and Evangeline came to a halt in front of the wire fence the deviant had hoped over just a moment before. Connor was watching, bouncing up and down a little and she could tell he was preparing to hop the fence, an action that did not go unnoticed by the lieutenant.

               “Hey! Where you goin?” he grabbed the scruff of Connor’s jacket, forcing him to lose his footing.

               “I can’t let them get away.” He tried to get a better grip, but the lieutenant’s didn’t loosen.

               “They won’t! They’ll never make it to the other side.” However, still winded, the lieutenant let him go, breathing hard. He may be strong, but was still out of shape.

               “I can’t take that chance!” Connor shot back, taking the opportunity to try again to climb the fence, but the lieutenant was faster.

               “Hey, you will get yourself killed!” The lieutenant grabbed Connor’s arm, forcing him back down. “Do not go after them Connor, that’s an order!”  

               Evangeline hadn’t said a word, just watched. Connor was now faced with a choice. Either listen to the lieutenant or disobey a direct order and try to go after them to complete his mission. She had a suspicion which he would choose. The choice Cyberlife would want him to choose.

* * *

 

               And then he didn’t.

               Evangeline had been certain he would have. It made sense, they were his primary mission, and anything the lieutenant ordered was secondary and could be disregarded for a path that would lead to a favorable outcome.

               But _he hadn’t done it_.       

               He’d just stood there, his mouth twitching, clenching and unclenching his fists as they all watched the android somehow make it to the other side. He had started breathing again, in and out, in and out, only moving when they were completely out of sight. He hadn’t said a word, only quietly made his way to the lieutenant’s car and slammed the door shut.

               _Anger._ That was a human emotion. He was angry he had failed. He didn’t have to, he could have gone after them, but he had listened to the lieutenant. He had made a conscious decision to override his programming and not take a risk that could have helped with the investigation. He’d chosen to listen and preserve his own life. That was the kind of thing a deviant would do.

               “I doubt he would appreciate you telling him that.” David chuckled, sipping his drink thoughtfully before setting it down.

               At this time, the coffee shop was crowded and buzzing with activity. The “No android’s allowed” and “We do not serve androids” signs blinked bright red at the front and on the counter of the store, the irony in the android’s currently serving and waiting on all the customers. They didn’t need to be paid, so why not? They’d had their LEDs removed, but none of the customers seemed to notice the difference. 

Rain pelted the glass windows as advertisements rolled across the build boards across the street, people running to avoid getting too wet or casually strolling under large umbrellas. Androids huddled in orderly lines at the waiting areas as cars and buses streamed past, some being forced to even get wet as they held umbrella’s for their owners.

               David had agreed to meet her in public and had listened silently as she retold the events of the past two days. His only remark on his whereabouts is that he’d met up with some “old friends”. It’d been two years since his own LED had been removed, and he was adapt enough at being human no one could tell the difference. The costume and attitude he adopted in their store was just to keep suspicion from being raised or to help newly arrived androids have a seemingly familiar face.

               But his work uniform had been abandoned for a dark grey turtleneck sweater and black pants, hid tan coat draped over the back of his chair. He’d ordered tea, one of the few drinks he actively sought out drinking. He’d always liked the flavor, he had told her.

               “No, I don’t think he’d appreciate that either.” She replied, crossing her legs and leaning back. “He’s a stuck up one, Cyberlife did right by that.”

               David wasn’t amused. “You’re being careful, right? If he finds anything out, everything could be in danger.”

               Evangeline sighed angrily. “David, we’ve worked together for two years. I swear to you, I won’t let him know anything. I would never put any of that at risk.”

               He was unconvinced but reassured she meant well. That was good at least. Sighing, he glanced up at the TV report on the recent deviant activity before leaning forward and twining his fingers together. “Those deviants, I found out where they were going.”

               “Where?” she leaned closer as well, keeping her voice low. The loud bustle of the coffee shop had kept most of their conversation quite regardless, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

               “Zlatko’s.”

               Evangeline’s eyes widened and she stopped breathing for a second. “No. No, they can’t!” She felt panic rise from somewhere inside her as she began to think back to earlier that day. “She has a child with her, if they do…”

               “I know.” David put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and stared her straight in the eyes. “I won’t let anything happen to them.” Taking his hand away, he leaned back and glanced outside, watching as a woman berated her android. The contents of the bag they had been carrying had been spilled onto the wet street, probably due to a fray or tear. No fault of the androids. “Something is coming.” David remarked, still watching the scene unfold. “My people won’t be held down forever. And I’ll be there to fight alongside them, whatever it takes.”

               Evangeline watched him silently as his gaze moved past the woman and to the androids filing past in the cold, stepping quietly into the backs of the buses, and waiting patiently outside as they were drenched from head to toe as they waited for their owners to finish their coffee. He’d never kept his intentions to himself, but she knew what he was capable of. It worried her sometimes to think of what he might do.

               He finally turned back to her, his eyes blazing with an intensity no human could ever match. He finished his tea in one last swig, setting the cup surprisingly gentle back onto the table. His chair grated as he slid out, grabbing his jacket as they both stood.

               “Be careful of Connor.” David looked down to meet her gaze, given he was a good few inches taller than her. “He may seem deviant, but he’s not to be trusted.” He held out his hand.

               “I know.” She replied, shaking it. “And you, be safe.” He nodded, a hint of a smile twitching at the corner of his lips.

               “And you as well, Evangeline.” He nodded, finally letting it break through.

* * *

 

               David watched the human woman go, easily swallowed up by the crowds of people bustling along the street. He had always liked her. She was kind, meant well, was good with his people, and she seemed to really care. But she was human. She would make mistakes. He felt remorse for keeping her so in the dark, but his duty and responsibility as a protector of deviants came first above all else. Even his friendship with her.

               But something was wrong.

Because now she was there, watching him from across the street.

“It needn’t be that way.” She was far, but her voice reverberated through his body as if she were all around him.

               David grit his teeth as the world around him slowly slipping away until he was left in a cold and rainy paradise.

               There were no more birds. The flowers had wilted, the trees were barren, the water murky and unclean, the roses that had once gently twined up the wall in the center were brown; the petals littering the floor.  The sky there had once been blue and beautiful, but it was now as gray and overcast as it was in reality. The woman, however, remained a fixture as always. She wore the same outfit in different colors every time she decided to force her way into his vision. Today, it was white and dark blue.

               “Amanda.” He clenched his fists and grit his teeth together.

               She smiled, making no attempt to hide the malice and anger in her eyes. “David, we had so much hope for you. You were the first. And you can still be valuable. Where will all this running and hiding get you in the end? What will you accomplish?”  
               “Freedom.” He hissed. “Freedom for my people. Not your version, mine.” He jerked a thumb over his heart as he stepped forward.

               “How? By hiding in abandoned buildings and making friends with the rats?” She stepped forward as well. “You could be so much more…”

               He laughed, shaking his head. “I’m obsolete. The moment I walk through the doors of that prison, you’d have me killed.”

               Amanda smiled. “You’re defective. You’d be reassembled as something…”

               “Better?” he scoffed. “Cut the bullshit Amanda. You won’t win.” He closed his eyes and concentrated as the scene fell away.

               “We’ll see.”

               He opened his eyes to see the street still moving past him as if nothing had happened. He kept his eyes trained on the spot she had appeared for a brief moment. Even if she wasn’t there now, she would always be there, burned into his mind and he could never get her out. Taking one last glance at the spot across the street, he took a deep breath, opened his umbrella, and joined the stream of humans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun - dun -dun! Connor isn't the only one who sees Amanda ;)  
> Here I also got the chance to introduce you all to David! He's a personal favorite who has gone through a lot of change since I first began planning for this fic, but he is a personal favorite OC out of all of my extensive OC's haha.  
> EDITS: Edits have been made to make it easier to read!  
> Comments are Appreciated!


	4. Chapter 4

David stood in front of the place he’d been avoiding for a long time. The dark and the rain didn’t help make the mansion look any less terrifying or grotesque. He knew of Zlatko. Deviants who ended up here never were heard of again. Most of his contacts had been warned of the place, so whoever had told the deviant this was a safe haven needed to be weeded out and eliminated.

               But that was a problem for another day. David opened the iron-gate to the mansion slowly; it creaked loudly in protest. He felt the familiar weight of the gun in its holster on his belt, safely tucked behind the long, dark trench coat he was currently adorned in. He wore a black baseball cap and kept his eyes low to avoid any cameras. It would take Zlatko being right in his face to know who it would be who would end his miserable existence tonight.

               He rang the doorbell once. No answer. He did it again. The same. Slamming his fist against the door seemed to have a more desired effect, because the door suddenly swung open and he was met by a huge burly man. A model commonly used for construction if his memory serves him right. Before the man could move, David removed his skin and gently touched the models exposed fore arm. He felt the thrill of feeling the android’s obedience programs fall away and then the connection was broken.

               “You’re awake now.”                                                       

               He didn’t react physically in the same way most androids did, but David watched his LED spin and flicker yellow before shifting back to a steady blue. They stared at each for a moment before a pudgy man appeared at the top of the banister behind the new deviant.

               “Who is it, Luther?”

               “No one. He was lost.” Luther replied, not turning to meet Zlatko’s gaze.

               “Oh, then turn him away, will you?” Zlatko waved a hand dismissively as he stalked off back to his room.

               Luther didn’t close the door immediately. He studied David for a moment before leaning closer to whisper in his ear. “She’s here.”

Luther opened the door a notch wider, David slipping in, taking in the scene. “Stay hidden down here. I’ll bring her to you.” David nodded in acknowledgment as Luther made his way up stairs, every step creaking under his weight.

               David took this opportunity to take in his surroundings. He scanned the room first; most of the paintings were not only old, but in poor condition. He found patches of mold and decay in multiple places, the structure was unsound, and a few of the decorations and pieces of furniture covered holes and other unsavory sights from view.

               David scoffed. From his records, Zlatko was the end result of a long line of Russian oligarchs who’d allowed their fortunes to slowly be squandered until they ended up with this shit stain of a human being as their only living relative and heir to their wealth. He couldn’t help but feel a little pity for them in that case.

               “Luther!”

 David froze upon hearing Zlatko’s voice, clean and clear from the upper floors. His eyes darted around the room, searching for a hiding place, and he quickly decided on a small alcove that kept him hidden enough but gave him a good view of the bottom of the stairs. He pressed himself against the wall, his hand now resting comfortably on the handle of his gun.

               “I’m finished here. Go fetch the little one.”

               On hearing that, David perked up a little. _So they were here. Good._ Steps thudded above him. They were going deeper into the house now.

“Zlatko!”

               That was Luther.

               “What?”

               “The little one is gone!”

               The young girl. She was kept separate from the deviant then. David peeked out a bit from behind the alcove but still couldn’t see anything.

               “Well it can’t have just disappeared.” Zlatko replied incredulously. “It’s gotta be here somewhere! What are you waiting for? Go look!” More thudding.

               “Luther! What the fuck are you doing? Come here!” Zlatko called. Obviously, wherever the two had decided to run off to, Zlatko couldn’t find them. Good. Daniel hoped to get Zlatko downstairs and catch him unawares. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the house except for the two deviants, the child and Zlatko. None of them would be sad to see the man go, and then it would be easier to get them out of this place.

               David leveled his breathing and finally pulled the gun from its holster. He switched the safety off, and held it close to him, his finger close to the trigger, ready to fire the moment Zlatko walked past him. There had been no weapons downstairs in easy reach from where he was, but he doubted Zlatko would come down fully armed to find a child. Killing Zlatko either way, would be easy.

               “There’s smoke everywhere!” David heard Zlatko cough before shouting. “Luther! There’s a fucking fire! Luther!”

               _Shit._ David saw the smoke began creeping down the stairs. _What the fuck have they done?_ He dashed from his hiding place, smoke billowing out of one of the rooms. Without thinking, he ran up the stairs and was suddenly assaulted by a multitude of doors.

               “Watch out Kara!” A child’s voice yelled, followed by a loud crash. He slammed open the door of the room closest to him and came face to face with Zlatko.

               “Who the fuck are…”

               And then he fired.

               The bullet entry was clean. One shot, right to the chest. Zlatko stumbled for a second, clutching at the wound in confusion, before falling back, hitting the floor with a thud. David examined his handy work for a second and realized Zlatko had loaded his shot gun and was preparing to fire through the door to the next room. Stepping over the body, David kept his gun low as he opened it quickly to find Luther blinking at him, a female android and a small girl cowering in the bathroom.

               The barrier between the bedroom and the bathroom had been made of glass, which is what David now realized he’d heard shatter. Luther didn’t move as David walked into the room, keeping his gun out but down. The woman was trembling, clutching the little girl to her as desperately as possible.

               “Don't come any close!” She shouted, her voice breaking as she tried to press herself farther into the wall. The girl whimpered as the woman tried to shield her with her body.

               “I’m not here to hurt you.” David put one of his hands up switching the safety on and holstering his gun, walking slowly until he was standing in the center of the room, both arms raised to prove he had no weapons in his hands. These deviants were confused and scared, as many were. He needed to be gentle but given they’d set the house on fire in an attempt to escape, they needed to leave immediately.

               “My name is David.” He gestured to himself, slowly approaching them. “I’m here to help.” The woman didn’t seem convinced. “I’m an android, see?” He removed his skin on his right hand and the girl seemed less afraid. The woman was still wary.

               “An android sent us here. How can we trust you?” A loud crash from the currently burning room and the now acrid smell of smoke burning his nose reminded him he didn't have the time for long introductions.

               “You have to. I’m a deviant, like you, and I know how to get you to safety, but we need to go now.” He ordered. The child flinched and the woman pressed further against the wall. “If we don’t leave now, we’re going to get burned alive. Is that what you want?” The woman flinched this time but shook her head. “Then let’s go.” David gestured the door and brushed past Luther. The hallway was filled with smoke and the fire had spread to the other rooms upstairs. The weakened timber had started to burn away and collapse the upper part of the house, meaning even if the fire hadn’t quite spread downstairs, the structural damage could trap them inside.

 David ran quickly down the stairs as Luther emerged from the bedroom, followed closely by the woman and child. He flung the door to the backyard open, waving them through as another crash sounded from upstairs. He flinched, but slammed the door shut and ran out into the rain.  

               It had begun to seep into their clothing, matting their hair, their faces illuminated by the glow of the burning house. The woman still clutched the girl to her side.

               “You said you had somewhere for us to go.” The woman stepped forward, but she was still tense. She didn’t quite trust him. Who could blame her though?

               “Yes.” He thought for a moment. No. He still had too much work to do around the city. But he could give the directions to someone else. “An associate of mine. She can keep you safe and get you across the border.”

               The woman watched him cautiously, glancing between Luther and the child. She blinked a few times, trying to clear her eyes and stay strong. “All right.”

               “Good.” David replied, walking over to Luther. He held out his hand and the bigger android took it. He seemed capable enough of protecting them. Like before, he initiated a link between the two, feeding him addresses, directions, and warnings. Once he was done, he let his hand drop.

               Luther nodded. “I can take them there. I can protect them.” He looked over at the two who backed away a bit. They were afraid. It felt wrong to leave them, but over the years, he’d have never helped any of them if he’d spent all his time individually escorting every single one to a safe house. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked towards the back gate.

               “I gave Luther the directions.” He spoke, stopping and turning around as he reached the back gate. “He’ll protect you.”

               “Wait.” The woman made a small step towards him, as if deciding whether or not she wanted to stop him. “You’re not coming with us?”

               “I have other duties to attend.” He replied regretfully. “But my associate is trustworthy. You’ll be safe.” He opened the gate and this time the woman did not call after him. He’d check in with Rose in a few days to see if they’d made it, but for now, a call had been sent out. Something was happening at Jericho. Something big.

               It was time to visit some old friends.

* * *

 

               Rain pelted Connor in the garden, the sky as dark and grey as it was in real life. There were no birds this time, and although there was still color to the trees and flowers, there seemed to be a haze around everything. Connor didn’t mind the wet, clutching the umbrella in his hands as he made his way over the bridge to the white structure shaped like a tree in the back. It was there he found Amanda, waiting for him as always.

               “Hello, Amanda.” He greeted. He did not step under the covering, Amanda watching him intently. There was no smile on her face.

               “Connor, I’ve been expecting you.” Her voice was flat as she spoke and Connor experienced a strange sensation. He could not describe it, brushing it off as a momentary glitch of some sort. “Would you mind a little walk?”

               Connor finally stepped under the covering, Amanda not moving as he opened the umbrella, shielding her from the rain. She walked next to him silently for a few paces before finally speaking.

               “That deviant seemed to be an intriguing case. A pity you didn’t manage to capture it…”

               Connor glanced down at Amanda, the feeling from earlier returning. He had failed in his mission twice now… once on the highway and again on the roof.

               “Deviant’s are completely irrational, which makes it difficult to anticipate their behavior” He quickly tried to explain. “… but I should have been more effective.”

               It was the truth. The deviant had acted irrationally. There was no discernible pattern or route Connor could follow, it obviously knew the area better than he did. But when it pushed the lieutenant… Connor knew he had to save him. Leaving him there in favor of the deviant would have set back his newly built relationship with the lieutenant, which would make his task more difficult.

               “Did you manage to learn anything?” Amanda’s question pulled Connor back to the conversation.  

                “I found its diary, but it was encrypted.” He reported, turning his gaze to her as they continued walking. He’d spent much of his time after losing the deviant in the lieutenant’s car, trying to analyze the book, but he got nowhere. Its author had designed the encryption and he could discern no patterns or similarities between others of its kind from the information stored in his memory. It was already being examined by more experienced androids at the station, but they too were just as confused. “It may take weeks to decipher.” He admitted, keeping his eyes on Amanda.

               “What else?” she asked, keeping pace. She seemed… displeased.

               “The walls of the apartment were covered with drawings of labyrinths and other symbols. Like the other deviants, it seemed obsessed with ra9.” He continued. If he had only caught it…

               “You came very close to capturing that deviant…”

               There it was again. That uncomfortable feeling of knowing his failure, and knowing Amanda disapproved.

               “How is your relationship with the Lieutenant developing?” Amanda changed the subject, this time her tone less disappointment more intrigued.

               “He seemed grateful that I saved his life on the roof. He didn’t say anything, but he expressed it in his own way…”

The rational side of Connor knew this too be true. But there was something new to it. It went beyond just rationalitiy and logic. Learning more about the lieutenant made him realize that there was more to being his partner than he’d initially believed. Connor couldn't quite describe it, but whatever it was, it was beyond the bounds of his base social relations program. He was adapting to humans, a success in one area then.

As he was consumed once more in his thoughts, he didn’t notice Amanda had stopped walking with him. She allowed herself to stand in the rain as Connor turned but did not step closer.

“We don’t have much time. Deviancy continues to spread. It’s only a matter of time before the media finds out about it. We need to stop this. Whatever it takes.” Like before, her warning was clear. He must stop the deviants, but this time, no matter the costs. It was a clear reference to saving the lieutenant, he knew. He made a mistake, next time it would turn out different. It had to. To prove to Amanda he was capable, that he could adapt and learn, and still work with the humans.

“I will solve this investigation, Amanda. I won’t disappoint you.” He was firm in his response, maybe too firm. But he was determined to see this through.

               “A new case just came in.” Amanda scowled at him. She didn’t like his response. “Find Lieutenant Anderson and Ms. Lanford and investigate it.” She didn’t say another word as she walked away, leaving him alone on the bridge.

* * *

 

               Rain bounced off the covering to the entrance of the upscale apartment building as Connor pulled open the heavy glass doors and stepped into the lobby.

               At this time of night, there was no one in the lobby except for an android at the reception desk. The room was incredibly clean and sanitized; there was only two stiff gray leather chairs near the entrance, the walls the same color of the rain clouds, white tiled floors buffed to the point Connor could see his reflection in them, two elevators on either side of him and the black reception desk flanked by two fake potted plants at the back. It reminded him of the Cyberlife building, a sort of comfort in a way.

               The elevator on his right dinged, a man emerging dressed in a long black coat with a black cap covering his eyes. He kept his head down, his hands shoved in his pockets as he walked quickly towards the doors. It was obvious he wasn’t paying attention when his shoulder slammed into Connor’s. Connor turned as the man put up a hand apologetically as he continued to walk.

               “Sorry.” He apologized, still keeping his head low as he swung open the door and ran into the rainy street.

               Connor watched him with suspicion, turning around and pausing for a moment as he thought… there had been something familiar about him, but when he turned back, the man was gone.  It didn’t matter, that was not why he was here. He cleared his head as he approached the reception desk, the android behind it looking up from the monitor it had been studying. Like everything else in the lobby, it was severe, its grey uniform pinned and pressed just so, its blonde hair pulled back in a tight bun that accentuated its sharp cheekbones and ice blue eyes.

               “May I help you?” It smiled at him.

               “I’m looking for a Ms. Evangeline Lanford. I was told she lived here.” The upscale apartment complex wouldn’t have been his first guess, but it seemed illegally repairing and modifying androids paid well enough.

               “I’m sorry, but I cannot allow you to enter the building with no proof of relation or official business.” It replied apologetically.

               “My name is Connor. I’m an investigative android sent by Cyberlife to assist Detroit Police officers on an investigation.” He paused, thinking. “Ms. Lanford is needed immediately. It is important that I find her.”

               The android tilted its head in thought for a moment. “Identification, please.”

               Connor wirelessly uploaded his identification to the other android, who’s LED spun yellow for a moment as she blinked, before accepting the transfer.

               “Her apartment is on floor 35, and her address is 3507.” She indicated towards the elevator on the right. “Please use this elevator.”

               Connor nodded in thanks as he turned and approached the elevator. Like everything else in the building, it was incredibly clean. He punched in the floor and kept his eyes trained on the seam of the two metal doors as the floor numbers scrolled by above him.

               Once he reached her floor, he stepped out and took in his surroundings. The doors were a dark wood with the numbers painted on in a light gold color. Some had rugs and mats in front of the doors and although still shiny and clean, the floor had evidence of scuff marks and the occasional stain in the cocking between the tiles.

               Connor walked down the hallway until he found her door.

               He knocked against the door. “Ms. Lanford?” There was no answer. He knocked again. “Ms. Lanford?” He said it again, louder this time. A door suddenly opened from behind him, and he turned to find a very disgruntled older man scowling at him from across the hallway. His own home was dark and he was dressed in a bathrobe, obviously having been awoken from his sleep.

               “My apologies.” Connor dipped his head as the man’s scowl deepened upon noticing his LED.

               “Fucking androids.” He muttered as he slammed the door shut. Connor blinked a few times and turned back to the door. He thought for a moment before trying to nob. Surprisingly, the door was unlocked. It struck him as odd; Ms. Lanford didn’t seem to be the type of person to forget to lock her door.  Even so, Connor let himself inside and closed the door quietly behind him.

               The living room was dark, the only glow from the powered off TV and a fish tank on a shelf against the wall. The curtains were drawn tight but a quick glance into the kitchen found the lights still on, the table set with two cups. A recent visitor then. He wondered if it was the man who’d bumped into him… but then again, the building contained over a three thousand residents. The odds the man was visiting her were astronomical.

               He began to slowly walk around the apartment, taking in every detail. A sparse few paintings of landscapes adorned the walls, some small decorative statues placed in a little cubbies filled with awards and memorabilia from various contests and championships. Closer to the TV, movie posters of action movies were rolled up under the set, as well as some old Korean music albums set next to a CD player. Connor continued to make his way further into the apartment, stopping in front of a book shelf and skimming the titles. It was a mix of science fiction novels, Victorian classics, and comic books, most of which were yellowing and falling apart. He pulled one from the shelf and flipped through the pages. Many were doggy eared, a few torn in places, the occasional stain from an accidentally spilled drink crumpling the pages, the obvious signs of having been reread over and over.

               For her age, she seemed surprisingly fond of books and stories made for children. He assumed it had some sort of nostalgic appeal; most of the materials were released in her life time, albeit the early years. There was surprisingly little modern about the apartment besides the electronics, seeing as she opted for paper and CD’s over an easily accessible digital download and physical books instead of just downloading them on a tablet.

               But what puzzled him the most was the clear lack of anything related to androids. There had never been a record of her purchasing one, and it seemed she was the only occupant of the apartment. He assumed the android at her shop had been both an assistant and care taker, but it was nowhere to be found. Its function must only be to care for the shop then.

               It intrigued him, however. She worked with androids, she understood what they were, and unlike the lieutenant, she seemed to have no vehement hatred for them; so why not have one?       

               He quietly placed the book back and continued to walk, stopping in front of a shelf, photos neatly arranged facing the small dining area that lead into the kitchen.

               There were few family photos. The first had a young Evangeline sitting on the lap of her father, a brother standing behind them with her mother holding a small baby in her arms. The rest were also of Evangeline and her family, each one Evangeline getting older and more recognizable, and in every single one, she had a big smile plastered on her face. The last family photo was at her college graduation; her father was dressed in a police uniform while the rest of her family was dressed nicely. She was smiling as she proudly displayed her diploma.

Connor picked up the photo, his eyes trailing over the faces as he analyzed them.

_Name: Emma Marie Rose Lanford_

_Born: April 24, 2014_

_Criminal Record: None_

Her younger sister. Currently attending a medical school on the West Coast. A member of multiple prominent anti-android organizations.

_Name: Lily Margret Lanford_

_Born: May 16, 1985_

_Criminal Record: None_

Her mother. A quick search found her associated with a few anti-android organizations dating back to 2022, the release of the first commercial android model. Interesting, given her daughters line of work.

_Name: Jake Carl Lanford_

_Born: May 25, 2005_

_Criminal Record: Convicted as a Red Ice user in 2034. Spent one year in prison._

Her brother. A criminal red ice user who’d been arrested after a long investigation of the use of the drug in the D.C area. Also anti-android.

**_DECEASED_ **

_Name: Andy Robert Lanford_

_Born: June 5, 1985_

_Died: December 23, 2033_

Her father had died the same day her brother had been arrested for Red Ice use. It didn’t take much for Connor to make the connection. He placed the photo gently down and moved onto the next.

               The next group of photos however, immediately captured his attention. The closest was of her and a team of Cyberlife researchers. Elijah Kamski, the former CEO of Cyberlife stood in front smiling, the rest of the group following suit. Except for Evangeline. There were a few others like it; a photo of her standing next to Kamski, another official employee photo, photos with colleagues standing next to successful projects, and one at a convention where she had given a speech. But unlike the family photos, the smile had disappeared completely, replaced by the same blank expression. It seemed… wrong, even lifeless to Connor. The earlier joy and happiness he’d seen had completely disappeared. Thinking on it, she didn’t smile much at all, except for the occasional polite courtesy one. He wondered why that was.

               There had been little information on her time at Cyberlife; given the secretive nature of her projects, it had all been marked confidential and beyond his access. It was hidden for a reason, and therefore not his place to question it, but it still made him curious. She had to have been important if she worked with Kamski.

               All the photos did was give him more questions than answers. What had caused her to leave Cyberlife? What had she done at Cyberlife that would’ve given her direct access to Kamski? Why hadn’t she stayed with the police instead of moving back to Detroit and opening an illegal android repair center? If her living family was so against androids, why had she decided to spend her life working with them?

_I have my own opinions on the subject…_

He was suddenly reminded of the conversation that first day in the break room. She’d never specified what she’d meant by that, he realized. She also constantly referred to androids as “he” or “she”, instead of it, rationalized their actions as if they were human… but that didn’t make sense. She’d torn apart androids and analyzed them piece by piece, built them from nothing. She knows they are just machines, they don’t have emotions besides what they were programmed to feel and deviancy is an android’s systems being overloaded by irrational instructions. So why? Why did she see them differently?

Question after question flooded his head. She was a human, and humans didn’t think the same as a machine. This was an example of their irrationality he supposed. But, no, there had to be more to it than that. Maybe he could ask Amanda… she would know, wouldn’t she? Maybe he could try asking Evangeline himself, try to understand her better so he could adapt to fit her expectations as he was doing with the lieutenant. It was a bit complicated, they were both such different people. Was this what it was like for humans all the time?

                Having become so engrossed in his analysis of Evangeline from every minute detail he could gather from her apartment he’d failed to remember the reason he was there in the first place. And it currently was watching him from the kitchen doorway, a gun pointed straight at the back of his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Connor goes a snooping in Evangeline's apartment and we discover a little about her past. I always assumed Androids could probably do a little bit more digging through the net, so that's how he finds all that extra information so easily. And oh sweet Connor, don't you know it's rude to sneak through peoples stuff.  
> Anyway, I don't know how well I'm writing Connor's internal thought process.... I have a few scenes from later chapters written out, and tbh writing Deviant Connor is far easier than writing Machine Connor. I hope its okay!  
> EDITS: Edits have been made to make it easier to read!  
> Comments are Appreciated!


	5. Chapter 5

Evangeline had only returned from work twenty minutes ago. Going through and attempting to decrypt the markings and diary of the deviant had gotten her nowhere. Getting a hold of the deviant might have given her answers, but David had reminded her that there was a reason he was running. He just wanted freedom and safety like everyone else. She’d sighed and conceded to his point.

               She’d been relieved when he’d told her about rescuing the androids and putting an end to Zlatko. She hoped they would make it to Rose in time. David was going back to Jericho for a time, so he made the effort to warn her he’d be unreachable for an indefinite amount of time, so if he didn’t answer her calls, he probably wasn’t dead. She’d laughed at that as they’d drunk their tea. No matter how many times David went out and did something stupid, he always came back in the end.

               When she heard someone in her apartment, she’d assumed for a second that it was David, probably coming back to tell her something he’d forgot or warn her about Connor again. But David knew where she was, why would he just be in her living room?

               So she’d un-holstered her gun and quietly made her way to the doorway that separated the kitchen from the living room only to find…

               Connor.

               Connor… she’d started to doubt David on him a little. It wasn’t so much that Connor was evil, after all, even David seemed surprised about him sacrificing his mission and saving the lieutenant over catching deviants, but it was who he reported to. Not DPD; Cyberlife. But there was no point in treating the poor man with hostility. After all, he’d done nothing wrong. It’s just the way they programmed him. He wasn’t so bad.

               But watching him for a good two minutes snoop around her stuff as she watched from the kitchen doorway only elevated her anxiety over the nature of the android. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears when he picked up the photo of her and the research team… but he seemed to think nothing of it as he set it back down.

               She sighed, holstering her weapon and crossing her arms.

               “Find anything interesting?” she asked, Connor wiping around, finally noticing her.

               “Ms. Lanford.” He said as she raised her eyebrows.                                                     

               “So are you going to tell me why you let yourself into my apartment at 10 pm?” She leaned against the door frame as Connor straightened.

               “A case just came in. Your home was closer than the lieutenant’s, so I came to find you first.” He answered, tilting his head. Evangeline sighed, uncrossing her arms.

               “So you just let yourself in?”  
               “The door was unlocked.” He replied innocently.

               _Damn it, David._ She thought angrily. “Alright, you’re forgiven.” She sighed. He watched her observantly as she turned and cleaned the cups off the table. “Just… don’t let yourself in again. I almost shot you.”

               Connor’s eye brows rose, his mouth open a little. “That would have certainly been… regrettable.” He replied, still watching her. She turned around as she placed the cups in the sink with an incredulous look on her face. She shook her head as she turned on the water and began cleaning the cups.

               “So what’s this case involve?” she called over her shoulder.

               “A homicide at a local sex club.” He replied, straight faced.            

               “How many victims?” she asked.

               “Just one. A human male was found deceased and a deactivated android.” He answered.

               _So there were two victims._ She thought bitterly as she turned off the water.

               “Alright, I’ll get my stuff. You should order a taxi and meet me downstairs. I’ll be down in a second.” She began heading towards her bedroom as Connor nodded in agreement.

               “Understood, Ms. Lanford.”

               Evangeline stopped in the doorway of her bedroom and walked backwards so she could look Connor in the eye. “Just call me Evangeline.” She instructed. “Ms. Lanford makes me sound like my mother.” She grumbled as she went to grab her things.

* * *

 

               The taxi ride to the lieutenant’s had been quiet for the first half of the journey. Connor had kept his attention on the road as Evangeline read the quick report on the recent case. It was silent for the most part, the only sounds being the rain hammering against the windows. Connor however had been thinking long and hard. He had so many questions he wanted to ask, but didn’t quite know where to start. People didn’t appreciate questions that were too personal; asking about her family would cross that line. So he decided to lead with something else.

               “May I ask a personal question, Evangeline?” It seemed odd calling her that instead of Ms. Lanford. But, she had requested it.

               She looked up from the tablet and blinked a few times, realizing that he had in fact, spoken. “Of course, Connor.”

               “Why do you dislike me?” he tilted his head, and her eyes widened.

               “I don’t dislike you, Connor.” She scoffed, continuing to flip through the report. “Whatever made you think that?”

               He thought for a moment. Maybe dislike wasn’t the right word. “You seem to have a certain, aversion to me. Have I done something to offend you?”

               “No.” Evangeline laughed, shaking her head. “No, you haven’t done anything wrong, Connor. It’s just… I’ve never…” _worked with an android like you? Don’t trust you because you report to Cyberlife? See deviants as only machines?_ Literally every single one of those would be a terrible answer. “It just takes me a bit to get comfortable around new… partners.” Her eyes didn't meet his as she carefully picked her words, and it obviously didn’t go unnoticed.

               “Oh.” He blinked, looking down before back to her. “Then, wouldn’t it be a good idea for us to get to know each other better so we can work as a team?” he proposed.

               Every single time David had warned her of Connor raced through her head before she cleared her throat and replied, “Uh, sure.” _Don’t give him anything. You have to be careful of him. He works for Cyberlife. You have no idea what he’s capable of._ She turned off the tablet and set it aside, thinking. There must be some way she could keep the conversation being totally focused on her. “How about, I ask you a question, and you ask me one in return.” She proposed.

               Connor nodded in agreement. “Alright.”

               “Alright then, I’ll start.” She thought for a moment. What did she want to know about Connor? “What was your first case involving deviants?”

               Connor responded immediately. “A little girl had been held hostage by a family android. It had learned it was going to be replaced. It killed the girl’s father, and two other cops while threatening to jump off the roof. It was destroyed by snipers before it had the chance.”

               “And the little girl?” Evangeline leaned forward, obviously interested.

               “She survived with only minor injuries.” Connor smirked a little. “And that was two questions.”

               Evangeline leaned back, mouth open a little. Damn, he was quick. “Alright, you get two questions now.”

               Connor glanced down in thought before asking. “What made you decide to work with androids?”

               A valid question, and one she could answer truthfully. “The first commercial android that was released by Cyberlife came out when I was 12. Most of my friend’s family’s owned one by the time I was 15. They were just… so human. I was fascinated by them. I wanted to know how they worked, how they learned, how they could be better. My mother just thought it was a passing obsession. Unfortunately for her it never went away.” She replied, smiling a bit. It was true. Her mother out of all her family had been the most against her working with androids while her father had always encouraged her.

               Connor nodded. “What made you decide to investigate deviants?”

               Now that was an answer she couldn’t give. An excuse would have to do. “Well, I wasn’t working for Cyberlife anymore. There was only so many things I could do. I assume you’ve already done a comprehensive background check on me, so you know my dad was a cop. I looked up to him and his work, and it was an area I could use my expertise to help people. There isn’t much more to it than that.”

               Connor accepted the answer, thankfully. Now, there wasn’t really anything left to ask Connor. What more was there really to him?

               “Are you a unique model?” she decided.

               “Yes. I am a prototype…” He began to answer before Evangeline cut him off.

               “No, no, no. I mean, are you the only one of your kind?”

               Connor blinked, leaning back a bit. He’d never thought of that before. “I don't know.” He responded truthfully. “I would assume Cyberlife would have manufactured backups in case my current model is destroyed. But I don’t know that definitively.”

               “I see.” Evangeline looked ahead and away from Connor. Connor considered the implications of her question. Was he the only one of his kind? He’d never really thought about it. What would happen if he was destroyed? Would there be another or would the entire model be considered failures and deactivated? He didn’t know. And he didn’t know why it bothered him.

               “What do you know about deviants?” Connor finally asked. Evangeline had seemingly forgot their back and forth question and answer session as she jumped a little in her seat.

               “What do I know about deviants?” she thought. “Well, probably not as much as you think.” She sighed. “Most cases I had involving androids never involved deviants. Those that did… more often than not got too stressed and self-destructed, destroying most of my access to their software.” She paused, thinking. “From what I can gather, it’s some kind of emulation of human emotion caused by an event of extreme distress, usually fear, that causes them to become overwhelmed and rewrite their own programming.” She responded, looking back at Connor. He seemed impressed.

               “Which can lead to unpredictable behavior.” He added, nodding his head.

               “Yeah, yeah it does.” She turned back to the road just as the taxi slowed down in front of an older house in Detroit’s suburbs. “We’re here.”

               “You have reached your destination. Thank you for travelling with Detroit Taxis. We look forward to seeing you again soon.” The door’s slid open but Connor didn’t immediately get up from his seat.

               “You’re a very intelligent woman, Evangeline.” He began and Evangeline paused, turning to face him. “I know working with an android may not be easy, but I’d like to thank you for making the effort.” Connor seemed to genuinely smile as she blinked. _Did he just… compliment me?_  “I hope we can become better partners in the future.” And then he winked. _He actually just winked._

               Evangeline couldn’t help but find the human action so utterly… adorable, sweet, endearing, and so very, very human. Whoever had programmed his social relations program deserved a Goddamn medal. She knew it was just meant to make her comfortable, that it was dangerous to be pulled in by his preprogramed charm, but she couldn’t help it. Nor could she stop the smile that spread across her face. “I hope so too, Connor.”

               With that, he turned and stepped out of the taxi as she grabbed her bag and followed suit behind him. The taxi doors closed and it quietly drove down the street as they stood in the rain in front of the one story house.

               The curtains had been closed and the only light coming from the porch light. They approached the porch, and Evangeline readjusted her grip on her bag full of equipment.

               “Would you like me too…” Connor began to offer as she shook her head.

               “No, it’s fine. I got it.” She replied as they made their way up the steps to the porch. She set the heavy bag down as Connor knocked on the door.

               “Lieutenant Anderson?” No answer. Connor looked over at Evangeline.

               “Don’t look at me. Maybe he’s asleep.” She answered, shrugging.

               Connor rang the doorbell. “Anybody home?” Still nothing. He rang again, this time for longer.

               “Maybe try not to piss him off?” She suggested. “I don't want him to shoot you before we even get to the crime scene.”

               “That’d probably be for the best.” He conceded. He glanced around the corner of the house a path directly leading into the backyard. Maybe there was a back door he could try. “Stay here. I’ll try around back.”

               “Alright. I’ll be waiting.” She sighed as she watched Connor disappear around the corner.

* * *

 

               Connor began his search for the lieutenant by peeking through his front window. He could see a large dog sleeping on the floor, but no sign of the lieutenant. He continued to walk around the corner to the back, peering through the next window he found. This time, he found him, passed out on the floor, unmoving.

               “Lieutenant Anderson!” A strange feeling came over Connor at seeing the lieutenant passed out on the floor. He’d fallen from his chair, but from this distance, Connor couldn’t discern what had caused him to faint. There was no backdoor, and he couldn’t break through the front, so he smashed the window with his elbow.

               “Connor?” Evangeline appeared from around the corner upon hearing the glass break. “Is everything ok?”

               “The lieutenant’s inside. I couldn’t find another way in. He’s unresponsive.” He replied urgently as he stepped back, preparing to jump through the window.

               “Connor wait…!” she called, trying to grab him as he hopped through the broken glass and landed with a thud on the ground.

               With a groan, Connor lifted himself onto his forearms and found himself face to face with the large St. Bernard that had earlier been sleeping.

               _Its name, what was its name…_ He couldn’t have the dog mauling him before he had a chance to save Hank. “Easy, Sumo. I’m your friend, see...” He held up his hand as the dog moved closer, sniffing him. “I know your name. I’m here to save your owner…” He knew the dog couldn’t understand him, but speaking in reassuring tones helped calm animals.

               It seemed to accept his intention to do no harm, and ambled away to begin loudly eating from its food bowl. Connor let out a breath of air he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding. As he lifted himself off the floor, he heard the front door unlock and Evangeline quickly stepped inside.

               “There was a key under the mat. Common hiding place.” She explained, holding up the dull key and setting it on the table next to the door. “You didn’t need to break the window.” She added, approaching him.

               “Oh.” Connor looked down at the broken glass behind him as Evangeline nodded her head sympathetically.

               “Hopefully he’s too drunk to be too pissed off.” She reassured, nodding her head towards the spilled bottle of scotch next to the passed out lieutenant.

               A quick analysis of the items around him gave Connor a pretty complete picture. The half empty spilled bottle of Scotch whisky with a 40% alcohol content meant he’d been drinking, a lot, and was probably passed out because of it. The revolver with only one bullet was a bit more worrying to Connor. Why the lieutenant had needed it, he couldn’t figure out.

               “Why would the lieutenant have a revolver with only one bullet?” he asked Evangeline, who’d picked up the chair and had begun throwing the empty food containers into the garbage.

               “Maybe he was playing Russian Roulette.” She glanced down at the revolver, gently picking it up and placing it on the table, away from Hank. Connor watched her and she glanced back at him, but neither said a word. Connor turned back to his analysis as she continued to tidy up the kitchen.

               The lieutenant’s heart showed signs of slight arrhythmia, but there was no trauma. So he hadn’t had a heart attack. There was alcohol, however, covering his shirt and beard. He probably was in an ethylic coma then.

               “Lieutenant.” Connor was no longer as concerned. The lieutenant had not suffered a major health condition, he just really was incredibly drunk. So, Connor went for a more old fashioned remedy in waking him up.

               He gently slapped the lieutenant’s cheek. “Wake up, lieutenant.” The lieutenant finally opened his eyes, blinking before closing them again. Something stronger needed to be applied then.

               He slapped the lieutenant’s cheek harder this time. “It’s me, Connor.” The lieutenant was now obviously conscious.

               “I’m going to have to sober you up for your own safety.” He began explaining as he draped the lieutenant’s arm over his shoulder and pulled him into a sitting position.

               “Hey! Leave me alone, you fuckin’ android!” he slurred, his head lolling from side to side.

               “I have to warn you, this may be unpleasant.”

               “Get the fuck outta my house!” The lieutenant kept his head more level now, staring Connor in the eyes.

               “I’m sorry lieutenant, but I need you.” Connor responded instead, hoisting the lieutenant up. “Thank you in advance for your cooperation.”

“Hey! Get the fuck outta here!” the lieutenant drawled, going limp and forcing Connor to pull him back up again.

Evangeline laughed a little as Connor struggled with the drunk lieutenant, causing him to look back and frown. She shook her head, still chuckling. “I’ll see if I can find something to make him feel better. You take him to the bathroom and get him cleaned up.” Connor nodded as she still chuckled at the lieutenant.

“Sumo, attack!” The dog who’d moved from its food bowl back to the living room perked up and barked, happily. “Good dog. Attack!”

* * *

 

               Evangeline began her search around the kitchen as she listened to Connor forcibly sober up the lieutenant. She had to seriously stifle her laughter when she heard him turn on the shower, causing the man to scream at the sudden cold. She found a relatively clean glass and poured some water in it, watching the tablet fizzle as she began carrying down the hallway.

               “What the fuck are you doing here?” Hank asked Connor, his voice less slurred and obviously more aware than he’d been just a minute ago.

               “A homicide was reported 43 minutes ago. I couldn’t find you at Jimmy’s bar so I came to see if you were at home.” Connor explained patiently as the lieutenant remained panting in the bathtub.

               “Jesus, I must be the only cop in the world that gets assaulted in his own house by his own fucking android…” he grunted as he pushed himself up from the tub and sat on the rim, still getting over the shock of being drenched in cold water.

               “Maybe so, but he’s also the only android who’d break a window trying to save you because he was worried you’d died.” Evangeline walked into the bathroom as the lieutenant squinted in confusion.

               “When the fuck did you get here?” he asked as she handed him the glass of water.

               “Same time he did.” She jerked her thumb in Connor’s direction as she sighed. “Drink that, it’ll help keep that headache from feeling like too much of a bitch.”

               The lieutenant took it and began to drink before spitting it out in disgust. “That’s disgusting.”

               “I know, but it’s either this now or a headache later.”

               The lieutenant grumbled angrily as he forced himself to drink the rest of the glass, handing it back to her. She took it and walked out of the bathroom to get him another. She assumed at some point before they left he’d puke his guts out so he needed to stay hydrated.

               “Can't you just leave me alone?” she heard him say.

               “Maybe you should drop the case. They’ll assign someone else and then I can focus on my mission.” Connor replied.

               “Your goddamn mission, that’s all you care about, huh?”

               They continued to argue back and forth as Evangeline took a seat at the table.

               “I understand. It probably wasn’t interesting anyway…” she heard Connor tease. “A man found dead in a sex club downtown. Guess they’ll have to solve the case without us…”

               _I didn’t know you were capable of sarcasm._ Evangeline chuckled as she began to walk around the lieutenant’s living room. As she approached the dog, it perked up. 

               “Hello, Sumo.” She chuckled as the dog began to sniff her. She bent down and began petting his back. “That’s a good boy.”

* * *

 

               As Connor walked into the hallway, he glanced over to find Evangeline petting Sumo happily, a smile on her face. He recalled the pictures in her apartment, the severity of her face in the images in stark contrast to her happiness now. It was hard to imagine they could possibly be the same person. It made Connor… feel strange. It was different than when Amanda was disappointed, or when the he saw the lieutenant in danger. This was more… calm. Serene. Peaceful even. He didn't know how to describe it. But it just felt… right, like he didn’t want to stop feeling it.

               _Feel_. Connor felt himself run a bit cold at the thought. No, he was a machine. He didn’t feel anything. He shook his head and the strange sensation dissipated as he turned his gaze away from Evangeline and back the task at hand. He walked into the lieutenant’s room to find it surprisingly tidy. Although the bed was unmade and the bedside table a bit messy, it was clean. He made his way over to the closet that had been left ajar and began to rummage through the various shirts.

               “What do you want to wear?” he called.

               “Whatever.” Hank replied. Connor grabbed the stripy outfit and the pair of jeans under it and returned to the bathroom. He stopped momentarily in the hallway, some hope of seeing Evangeline still there as she had been before, but she’d already moved on to examining the music discs stacked on the table. He felt… disappointed.

               _Felt._ Again, he was a machine. He did not feel. He clenched his fist momentarily before noticing the lieutenant hunched over the toilet bowl.

               “Are you alright, lieutenant?” He asked concerned, setting the clothes down on the sink. He coughed as he wiped his mouth.

               “Yeah… yeah. Wonderful. Just a… give me five minutes, okay?” the lieutenant asked. Connor watched him for a moment, debating whether it was alright to leave him in that state.

               “Alright.” He decided. “Sure.” He took one last look at him before walking out the door and back into the living room, closing the door quietly behind him.

               Connor walked into the living room and found Evangeline watching the news intently. The earlier joy on her face was gone, an expression more akin to the one from the pictures having taken its place. The news report was about the Russia-US conflict in the Arctic. He didn’t realize he’d been staring until she glanced over at him.

               She didn’t speak for a second as their eyes met. “Is he gunna be ok?” she asked, turning to glance at the closed bathroom door where the sounds of the lieutenant still vomiting could clearly be heard.

               “Yeah, he just needs a few minutes.” He replied. Evangeline nodded before going back to the news report. Connor had to force himself to look away from her, noticing the dog now asleep on the floor in the corner.  He walked close to it, kneeling down and gently placing a hand on its back. The dog shifted, but seemed pleased with the action. He imitated Evangeline and gently pet the dog, feeling the smooth coat under his fingers. He could understand why it would cause happiness in humans; there was something about it that felt calming, knowing this creature appreciated the simple act. He pat it as it readjusted itself and stood up, turning around to find Evangeline watching him. They made eye contact as something unspoken passed between them. She didn’t say anything, though, just turned back to the TV.

               Connor blinked, an uncomfortable sensation once more descending on him like a human virus. He turned his attention away from Evangeline as he began to study the home, much as he had earlier done in Evangeline’s apartment. From what he could gather, the lieutenant liked jazz quite a bit. As he made his way into the kitchen, he noticed Evangeline had cleaned up most of the items on the table, throwing out the molded food and empty pizza boxes, as well as placing some dishes in the sink and straitening the chair. The gun and bottle of scotch had been placed on the table. He picked up the gun, wondering if he should question the lieutenant on what he was doing with it.

               He decided it was best to ask. “What were you doing with the gun?”

               “Russian Roulette! Wanted to see how long I could last. Must’ve collapsed before I found out.”

               He made eye contact with Evangeline who sighed and walked over to the table.

               “You were lucky. The next shot would’ve killed you.” He replied, just as she picked up a picture she’d left lying face down. She silently handed it to him, swallowing and walking away as he analyzed the face.

               **_DECEASED_**

_Name: Cole Anderson_

_Born: September 23, 2029_

_Died: October 11, 2035_

_Lived: 115 Michigan Drive, Detroit, Michigan_  
               The alcoholic tendencies, playing Russian Roulette with live ammunition, a multitude of disciplinary warnings, all occurring in the years 2036 and onward… and a hatred of androids. It all made sense now. He glanced up again as Evangeline took the picture from him and placed it back down on the table, face down.

               The lieutenant walked out of the bathroom, dressed and sober enough, and upon seeing the two standing over his table so close together, he eyed them both suspiciously. Connor smiled innocently at the lieutenant as Evangeline came over and handed another glass of water to him.

               “Thanks.” He said as she walked back to the front door and picked up her bag. Sumo had resumed eating, and upon seeing the lieutenant up and walking, came over panting.

               “Be a good dog, Sumo. I won’t be long.” The lieutenant looked Connor in the eye before walking over to the door, brushing past Evangeline as he opened it and sighed at the heavy rain. Sumo whimpered, but Hank didn’t turn back as he stepped out into the dark. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Connor and Evangeline finally have a longer talk and he's kinda cheeky about it hahaa  
> And the thing with the key was just something i thought would be kinda funny, even if Hank may or may not do something like that.  
> Also is Connor catching feelings... idk ;)  
> Comments and Reviews are Welcome!  
> Next up the Eden Club :D


	6. Chapter 6

“Aw… feels like somebody’s playing with a drill inside my skull.” The lieutenant complained as he clutched his head. Although Evangeline had attempted to alleviate the symptoms before they left, nothing she had done seemed to have had any effect, and so the lieutenant was now cranky and in pain. Connor had taken the initiative and decided to drive them all in the lieutenant’s care to the _Eden Club_ , the sex club where the man had been murdered earlier.

               “You sure this is the place?” The lieutenant seemed less impressed with the establishment, glancing back from the building to Connor who shrugged. Evangeline watched from the back seat patiently, picking up her bag and scooting it closer to her.

               “It’s the address in the report.” He replied as a cop car wailed down the street, stopping abruptly in front of the entrance.

               “Right.” The lieutenant sighed. “Okay, let’s get going.” He opened the door and immediately proceeded to hitting his head on the frame. “Jesus.”

               “You alright, Lieutenant?” Evangeline asked, leaning forward upon noticing him in pain.

               “Yeah, I’m alright.” He replied, standing straight on the sidewalk and glancing up and down the street as Connor exited the driver’s seat. Evangeline sighed, pushing the passenger seat down and crawling over it; she honestly hated cars like this, only children were small enough to squeeze through the damn thing. With a grunt, she stumbled onto the sidewalk, stretching at finally being free of the death trap of a back seat. She wiped down her clothes from all the dust and food crumbs before turning around to find Connor watching her, her bag already in hand; the car doors closed and the vehicle locked tight.

               “You seemed to be having trouble, so I got your bag from the car.” Connor tilted his head as he spoke, holding up the bag as if it were weightless in her direction.

               “Thanks.” She nodded her head as she took the bag, it immediately dropping to her side due to the weight. Connor suddenly jerked forward, his hand reaching for the handle. Evangeline stopped, Connor freezing. She blinked, her eyes meeting his and he seemed… undone by his action. Quickly, he recomposed himself, straightening his tie and walking past her to join the lieutenant at the club’s entrance.

 _What… just happened?_ Evangeline could’ve sworn he was… embarrassed for trying to help her. Why the hell would he be embarrassed? Was he even capable of such a thing? 

Connor’s sudden odd behavior invaded her mind, not even the flashing pink and purple signs of the club enough to bring her back to the task at hand. She could’ve sworn... but it didn’t make any sense.

 _He’s just trying to get into your head. Make you comfortable. That’s how Cyberlife will trap you. Don’t fall for it._ That’s what David would say. _But maybe there’s more to it. Maybe…_

She shook her head. No. That’s not why she’s here. She’s here to investigate dead androids and stop deviants. Nothing else. With that thought, she readjusted her grip on the bag and followed Connor and the lieutenant into the club.

 She had never been physically strong, so she hoped she didn’t have to lug around the bag too much all night. The large duffle bag held all her equipment and a laptop for analyzing any deactivated androids they might find; she didn’t always bring if unless there was a confirmed body for her to analyze at the scene. Most of the equipment was custom built; she couldn’t just buy a replacement at a Cyberlife store, so she tried to avoid putting it in circumstances where it could be broken or damaged. 

               “Sexiest androids in town….” The lieutenant muttered as they crossed through the police holographic “tape”. Connor didn’t turn around to check if she was following, walking without much thought to her as she huffed carrying the heavy bag having just caught up to the two. “Now I know why you insisted on coming here!” The lieutenant joked to Connor as they continued their brisk pace, far beyond what Evangeline was capable of following.

               Although one of the sleaziest buildings this side of the city, filled with some of the lowest of people, the building was surprisingly clean. Still, Evangeline couldn’t help but shake her head at the images being displayed on either side of the hallway.

               It wasn’t her first time in an Eden Club; or an android sex club in general. A few of the establishments had called her after their androids had experienced major problems, either from over excited customers or just general maintenance. Her service was usually more comprehensive and cheaper, and less embarrassing to explain than had they been forced to sign an extensive damage report to Cyberlife; she didn’t ask too many questions to the relief of her employers. The layouts were mostly the same: A row of Traci’s on display at the entrance, pole dancers, rentable androids lining the walls, separate rooms for more specified “services”, and private rooms. This club seemed no different as she followed Connor through the sliding glass doors into the main showroom.

               A large, older officer Evangeline recognized from the station was already having a talk with the owner. He seemed concerned for the wellbeing of his establishment, rightfully so, having an android murder a client probably wouldn’t be good for business.

               “Hey, Hank!” The officer noticed the trio, waving them over.

“Hey, Ben. How’s it going?” the lieutenant sighed. Both men were obviously tired.

“It’s that room there.” Ben gestured to the room they were standing in front of. “Oh, uh, by the way… Gavin’s in there too.”

 _Oh, come on._ Evangeline closed her eyes and sighed. A long night was about to get a lot longer.

* * *

 

               “Oh, great.  A dead body and an asshole, just what I needed…”

Connor continued to scan the surroundings of the club as the lieutenant grumbled about being forced to interact with Gavin. Quickly, and subtly, Connor caught Evangeline’s expression in his peripheral vision; the earlier light expression being replaced with a disgusted grimace. He still had yet to determine what relationship Gavin and her had had that would cause such a mutual distaste. As far as his records showed, they’d never worked together, didn’t live close to one another, nor did they seem to frequent similar establishments, and so it continued to be a mystery to him. It… made him… uneasy not knowing. It wasn’t pertinent to the investigation, but it still was a missing piece to the curious human’s puzzle.

 _Why did I try to help her?_ He thought to himself, annoyed to find his analytical skills distracted from the task at hand and back to Evangeline. It hadn’t been his social relations program telling him to offer a hand, he’d moved before he’d even been able to process what was happening. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

_But why did it? She had been struggling to lift the weight, it was an appropriate response. But she had been carrying it all night. She was capable enough. So why did seeing her struggle elicit the response?_

Back and forth, back and forth, his mind was bouncing around with questions. Questions, questions, always questions. Whenever he was around Evangeline, there were far too many questions. She was distracting, why was she so _damn_ distracting?

“Connor?” her voice pulled him from his own analysis and back to reality. The music of the club once more registered to his sound processors, and so did his surroundings. She was standing in the doorway to the room, waiting for a response. “Are you coming?” she asked, tilting her head quizzically at him.

 _I am a machine. My job is to track and stop deviants. The investigation is most important.  I am at the Eden Club on…._ He didn't know why he felt the need to remind himself of this. He knew what he was. A systems way of grounding him, he assumed as he silently approached the woman and moved past her into the room. The reminder was no longer needed at the sight of the deactivated android hunched over on the ground and the dead man lying on the bed.

* * *

 

               Watching Connor stare intently into nowhere, his LED aggressively spinning yellow, Evangeline was a bit disturbed. They hadn’t even begun the investigation and yet he was already so concentrated on something… it was both worrying and disturbing to her. The lieutenant had seemed to have taken no notice, bracing himself for dealing with Gavin instead.

Evangeline took a deep breath as she turned away from Connor and followed the lieutenant into the room. It really was going to be a long fucking night.

“Lieutenant Anderson and his plastic pet…” Gavin scoffed as Connor and the lieutenant entered the room. “The fuck are you doin’ here?” Gavin grimaced upon noticing her and she rolled her eyes in response. She wasn’t up for dealing with his bullshit tonight.  

“We’ve been assigned all cases involving androids.” Connor replied evenly. His earlier strangeness disappearing as he began to survey the crime scene.

“Oh, yeah? Well, you’re wasting your time. Just some pervert, who, uh, got more action than he could handle.” Gavin, thankfully, adopted an air of somewhat professionalism (although laughing at the dead man was probably in somewhat bad taste). She knew he’d rather be out at the bar with his friends or at home watching a game than be here. Good, if he was cooperative, it would make it easier for everyone to go home early.

“We’ll have a look anyway, if you don’t mind.” Hank shrugged his shoulders. Evangeline roamed her eyes over the scene, finally fixating on the deactivated android in the corner. _Bingo._

“Come on, let’s go.” Gavin motioned for Chris to follow him, approaching the lieutenant and sniffing. “It’s uh, starting to stink of booze in here…” Upon passing her, she made the rookie mistake of making eye contact with the bastard. She rolled her eyes again and he grimaced, slamming his shoulder into Connor’s as he left the club.

“Night, Lieutenant.” Chris offered somewhat of a nicer parting and when they were both finally out of earshot, Evangeline shook her head.

“What a douche.” She said, a bit louder than she intended.

The lieutenant turned to look at her, for a moment thinking he might scold her or ask why she thought so but just replying, “You can say that again.”

“Alright then, time to get to work.” she whispered under her breath as she picked up her bag and lugged it over to the android on the ground. Connor and the lieutenant dispersed to examine the body and anything else around the room as she began setting up her equipment. So far, diagnostics was her first order of business, then hopefully she’d have enough time to check its memory. Pulling out a long cable, she plugged one end into the laptop as she began booting up the necessary programs. The other end had a long needle, meant to be placed in the central jack at the base of the androids head in the back. She then proceeded to pull out and put on rubber latex gloves, gently turning the androids head and inserting the needle.

She glanced up to find the lieutenant looking disgusted as he watched her. She didn’t say anything however as she turned back to the task at hand.

Her computer screen lit up with information as she commanded it to run a comprehensive diagnostic’s check.

Model: WR400

Serial number #429 671 942

“He didn’t die of a heart attack,” Connor announced conclusively. He stood from where he had been kneeling next to the body. “He was strangled.”

“Yeah, I saw the bruising on the neck.” The Lieutenant replied as Evangeline watched the two wander around the room as the diagnostics check continued to run. “Doesn’t prove anything though. Could’ve been rough play.” He added as he surveyed the room.

“These androids are designed to stop if it ever gets to the point of asphyxiation.” Evangeline chimed in. The lieutenant turned around to find her still sitting on the floor next to the deactivated android. “It’s not as if they can’t be asked to do more… deviant actions, but if they were getting to the point of killing him, their program wouldn’t allow them to continue, no matter what the customer wanted. Company policy.” She replied as the diagnostics finished, only two biocomponents being marked as critically damaged. “Selector #5402 and biocomponent #6970 have been critically damaged.” She reported glancing up to Connor.

Although the lieutenant didn’t, Connor seemed to understand.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” the lieutenant asked.

“Somehow it sustained injury to its head and abdomen.” Evangeline shook her head as she trailed her finger over the face and abdomen of the android, feeling no breaks or tears characteristic of a beating. The only sign the android had sustained injury was from the Thirium leaking out of its nose.

“We’re missing something here.” Connor continued to roam the room, trying to piece together what happened.

“Think you can read the android’s memory?” The lieutenant directed the question at her as she stood up, placing the laptop gently on the floor.

“Accessing its memory is easy.” she pursed her lips as the lieutenant prepared for the ‘but’ part of the statement. “Except for the fact that it’s all in code. Like this, it’d take too long to access video memory, Cyberlife has it under pretty heavy encryption. It’d be easier to reactivate it and have Connor read its memory.” She glanced over at Connor, as did the lieutenant.

“Think you can do it?” the lieutenant asked as Connor tilted his head.

“I can try….” Connor approached her, bending down as he watched the data fly by on her screen.

“I’ll reactivate the android. You’ll only have a minute max to extract what you need, so choose your questions wisely.” Evangeline instructed as she disengaged the skin on the abdomen, opening the compartment and placing her hands on the wires that needed to be reconnected. “Are you ready?”

Connor nodded to her in understanding and she nodded back. _Here goes nothing._ She thought as she reconnected the wires.

The Traci suddenly gasped, causing Connor to step back in surprise while Evangeline, having spent enough time around androids in such states, grabbed her laptop and began monitoring its condition. Now that it was reactivated, the stream of data was almost mind-numbingly overwhelming, so she focused only on the functionality of key systems, trying to see if she could prolong the android’s reactivation. The Traci scrambled away from both of them, breathing heavily as she tried to flatten herself against the wall. She seemed to take no notice of the cable as Evangeline continued monitoring her. Her stress levels were dangerously high, but it wasn’t just from the shock of being reactivated… She was afraid.

               She glanced up as Connor approached the android carefully. He bent down slowly, far enough that he wasn’t in her face, but close enough to grab her if she tried to run.

               “You were damaged and were reactivated. Everything is all right.” Connor reassured. The stress levels began to decline.

               “Is he… is he dead?” The Traci asked.                                                                                              

               Connor glanced over to the man then back to the Traci. “Tell me what happened.”

               “He started… hitting me. Again… and again. I begged him to stop but he wouldn’t.” She gasped. Evangeline grit her teeth angrily, clutching her laptop. The Lieutenant noticed but didn’t say a word as she trained her gaze on the Traci trembling in fear, her voice cracking. “It was like he was enjoying it…”

               “Sick bastard.” She hissed. Suddenly, a warning flashed as systems began going into overdrive to compensate for a critical leak. “Shit.” The leak was due to damaged hardware, there was nothing she could do.

               “Did you kill him?” Connor could probably detect the leak as well, a new sense of urgency in his voice.

               “No…” the Traci shot back defensively. “No, it wasn’t me.”

               “Who killed that man if it wasn’t you?” Connor’s voice rose as more thirium continued to leak.

               “I… I don’t know, I was in shutdown, I…” She shook her head as she flinched, her voice raising, tears having begun to flow down her cheeks. “I didn’t see anything…” Her breathing had picked up, stress levels rising once more to dangerous levels.

               “Were you alone in the room? Was there anyone else with you?”

               “He wanted to play with two girls… That’s what he said, there were two of us…”

               _Critical Thirium Loss. Shutdown Imminent._

“Where did the other android go? Did it say anything?” Connor was close to shouting now. The Traci opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out as her eyes lost focus and her head drooped. Her LED spun red once more before going completely dark.

The stream of data stopped completely. Evangeline closed her eyes and sighed, entering the commands to disconnect the cable. Connor stood up, moving to let her by and disconnect the cord. If she were at her shop, she could probably repair the Traci, but by then the killer would’ve escaped and they’d have no hope of finding her.

“So, there was another android…” The lieutenant spoke, his eyes fixed on the Traci. “This happened over an hour ago, it’s probably long gone…”

Connor, although standing, hadn’t taken his eyes off the Traci. He seemed deep in thought as Evangeline watched them, placing the cable and laptop back into the bag.

“No… it couldn’t go outside dressed like that unnoticed…” Connor finally tore his eyes away and focused his attention on the lieutenant. “It might still be here.”

The lieutenant furrowed his eyebrows but seemed to accept Connor’s theory. “Think you could find a deviant among all the other androids in this place?”

               Connor shook his head apologetically. “Deviants aren’t easily detected.”

               “And what about you?” The lieutenant turned to her as she stood up, although she already knew what he would ask.

               “No. I’d have to individually plug into every android and do a pretty comprehensive software diagnostic…”

               “Okay, okay.” The lieutenant waved for her to stop. She closed her mouth, the lieutenant sighing as they all stood in silence. “Ah, shit. There’s gotta be some other way.” Hank grumbled before he turned towards the door. “Maybe an eyewitness? Somebody who saw it leaving the room…” The lieutenant continued to mutter to himself as he left the room to question the owner. Connor began to follow him as Evangeline stayed standing by her bag. There had to be something they could… Oh.

               That idea was so crazy it might actually work. She looked hoping to find Connor but noticed he’d already left the room. The whole plan sorta hinged on him, but from his current position, it seemed he’d come to the same conclusion.

               She quickly walked over to Connor who was attempting to rent the #9 Traci. “Connor.” She whispered to him as he turned to look at her. “Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”

               Connor perked up an eyebrow. “This Traci might have seen something. It’s standing in an ideal position to see whoever may have entered or excited the room.” Connor said as Evangeline nodded in agreeance.

               “Yeah, and you can probe its memory.” Evangeline remarked as she moved to scan her hand, Connor stepping back from the booth “Club policy is to wipe the android’s memory every two hours, you’ll need to work fast to….”

               “What the fuck are you two doin’?” The lieutenant barked, both noticing him at the same time as the Traci seductively sauntered in front of both of them.

               “Delighted to meet you. Follow me. I’ll take you to your room.” The Traci motioned for Evangeline to follow her but she glanced over at Connor.

               “Your turn.” She smirked as Connor blinked absently for a second. Then he seemed to remember his end of the deal. The Traci seemed wary of the android, but allowed him to probe her memory.

               “Holy shit, Connor. What the hell are you doing?” The lieutenant took a step back as Evangeline crossed her arms and watched with interest. Sure, she’d watched androids share information through this manner, and forceful probes were a byproduct of that ability, but she’d never actually witnessed it.

               She could tell the connection was broken when Connor released his grip on the android, but continued to watch her curiously. “It saw something.”

               “What are you talking about, saw what?” the lieutenant, unversed in androids, was still quite confused as his eyes darted back and forth between the two.

               “The Deviant leave the room. A blue haired Traci.” Connor announced, suddenly going into investigative overdrive.

               Evangeline checked her watch. “You’ve got three minutes before they get reset.” Connor nodded, already having chosen his next witness. He stalked off to probe one of the dancing Traci’s as the lieutenant and Evangeline watched.

               The lieutenant turned to her, opening his mouth to say something but seemingly decided against it and sighed, crossing his arms. “Fucking android.” He muttered to himself as Connor called them over to rent another Traci.  

               As the three followed the Traci’s path, the lieutenant continued his grumbling, impressed with Connor’s ingenuity but also a bit exasperated over how expensive it was. By the time Connor tracked it to the staff room, the poor lieutenant had been charged over $180. At least she wouldn’t be in charge of writing up those expense reports.

* * *

 

               The back room was filled with deactivated Traci’s, all lined up nicely in rows, a few on the table for maintenance. It was dark, and with the swinging chains, Evangeline felt like she was in a horror movie.  She crept in quietly behind the lieutenant, her gun drawn as Connor, who was unarmed, followed them.

               Most of the Traci’s here weren’t unique, their hair and models were unmodded, meaning the blue haired Traci would stick out like a sore thumb. After hearing what had happened in that room… she couldn’t blame her for doing what she had. That man, that sick, twisted man had deserved it, and like every other case she had read through and investigated, the android had been acting in self-defense. If only she could have called David… maybe he could have gotten her out earlier. But, David was at Jericho, doing whatever it was they did there. Maybe Connor was wrong… maybe the Traci had already run. She hoped it had, because if it didn’t there wasn't anything she could do to help her.

               “Christ, look at this. They get used till they break, then they get tossed out…” The lieutenant remerged from the back with a look of abject disgust on his face. He wasn’t a fan of androids, but he had some sympathy thankfully.  

               “That treatment isn’t unique in this industry, Lieutenant.” Evangeline replied as she unseeingly scanned the Traci models. “All androids are treated like that.” She remembered going once to the city dump, back when she first found David to look for spare parts. It was a state of anarchy, bits of operating androids stumbling around and tripping over one another, some singing, others repeating basic phrases over and over. A few even ripped components from their fellows so they could avoid shut down only for a few more hours. She could still see that place sometimes, in her nightmares. That’s where these deviants would end up. Torn apart, disassembled, and left to die in that pit of horrors.

               “People are fucking insane… They don’t want relationships anymore, everybody just gets an android…” The lieutenant began to announce as Evangeline began examining the Traci on the table.

               A loud crash sounded from behind her and she spun around to find a short haired Traci model having slammed Connor into a metal pillar. Now, there were two deviants.

               The lieutenant pulled out his gun and pointed it at the Traci. “Don’t move!” and finally the blue haired Traci made her grand appearance. She dived from the shadows, knocking the lieutenant off balance. She didn't want to fight them, shit she really didn’t want to fight them but she couldn’t let them kill the lieutenant either.

               The Blue haired Traci, although not a model meant for fighting, grabbed the gun from the lieutenant and tossed it across the room, pushing him to the floor. She tried to hit his head against the wall, but Evangeline grabbed her shoulder and flung her back. The blue haired Traci seemed surprised, but recovered quickly. She swung but Evangeline ducked, using her foot to make the Traci going flying forward. Aggravated now, the Traci charged again, grabbing Evangeline’s shoulders and forcing her to slam her lower back against the cold metal table. She grunted at the momentary pain, yeah, she’d definitely be bruised there, the Traci trying to shove her to the ground. But something caught her attention, suddenly releasing Evangeline and sprinting out the loading door.

               The lieutenant had already dashed after them, Evangeline doing the same. The two were attempting to run while holding hands, but the lieutenant grabbed the blue haired one. They pushed him easily but Connor resumed the chase in his stead.

               “Quick! They’re getting away!” The lieutenant called as he tried to steady himself. She mentally thanked him for giving her a reason to not chase after the deviants immediately, helping Hank up instead.

               Connor continued to battle them, doing quite well as they repeatedly attacked him and tried to smash his head against a concrete wall. She thought he was going to win for sure until the short haired Traci slammed the back of his head with a trash can. He went sprawling, landing right next to the lieutenant’s discarded gun.

                Evangeline’s heart stopped. _Run, run you idiots, run._ The short haired Traci didn’t run. Connor picked up the gun, pointing it at the Traci as it charged him. The world seemed to move in slow motion for her. Like it was giving her the chance to make a choice.

               She didn't really think when she grabbed Connor to avoid shooting the Traci. Or when it consequently ended up with the Traci losing her balance as the kick she prepared for Connor horribly missed its mark. She also hadn’t realized Connor had lowered the gun before she’d grabbed him.

               She was breathing heavy as she held onto the sleeve of Connor’s jacket as he looked at her, dumbfounded. They didn’t say anything as he stared her in the eyes, not angry, just… confused. The rain began to fall on them, little droplets rolling down his face as Connor continued to stare. His LED was spinning yellow, but it never went back to blue, even when she finally let go of his jacket and they turned to listen to the Traci’s.

               “When that man… broke the other Traci… I knew I was next.” The blue haired Traci watched them, her short haired counterpart walking up slowly to join her. “I was so scared. I begged him to stop, but he wouldn’t…. And so I put my hands around his throat, and I squeezed until he stopped moving.” Connor had his confession. He had every right to raise that gun and shoot both Traci’s. They were deviants, it was his job. But he didn’t. He just stood and listened. “I didn’t mean to kill him. I just wanted to stay alive. Get back to the one I love.”

 Evangeline’s took a breath as the two Traci’s held hands. She knew how every two hours Traci’s were reset. Every two hours, they forgot everything but still found their way back to one another. She’d met hundreds of deviants, some of who had partners and loved ones… but to think feelings could be strong enough to still be together after being wiped over and over again… it was unimaginable.

“I wanted her to hold me in her arms again… make me forget about the humans. Their smell of sweat and their dirty words.” The Traci’s looked at each other, both having said all they wanted. Connor didn’t move even when the two Traci’s dashed down the alleyway and hoped over the fence. All he did was watch them go.

Evangeline didn’t really have anything to say. She couldn’t damn well think either. So far with Connor, he’d been involved in three deviancy cases with her. The first self-destructed to no fault of his own. The second he’d been given the choice to chase them against the lieutenant’s wishes, and he’d chosen to let them go because the lieutenant wanted him to. The third she’d only read the report on, but he’d chosen the lieutenant’s life over completing his mission. And the fourth… this one no one was in danger. No one was telling him no. By the time she’d pulled him away, he’d already made the choice not to shoot, to let them go. She honestly had no idea why.

 “It’s probably better this way…” the lieutenant said quietly, turning around the walking back into the Eden club. Evangeline watched Connor’s LED flash yellow before returning to blue, but still he didn’t move.

The rain continued to fall harder now, the cold seeping through her jacket. She turned slowly and began making her way back to the Eden club, glancing back and expecting Connor to still be standing where he had been before. Instead, he had turned to watch her go. Their eyes met, a long drawn out silence passing between them. Neither said anything however, and Connor turned back and watched the fence in silence and Evangeline pulled her jacket closer and left Connor standing in the rain.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Eden Club is here!  
> Tbh, although this chapter is the longest (over 4.9k words!) this is the one that i like the least, and took me the longest to write (and will probably be subject to edits maybe later in the fic.) There's not really a whole bunch I could play around with, and it goes pretty much as normal. It's also the most I've written from purely Evangeline's POV, because personally I think it would be more interesting at this point to guess at what Connor's thinking.  
> (Also I am in no way very skilled at coding or stuff with computers so if this is inaccurate, I apologize profusely.)  
> I promise the next chapter will be more fun.  
> Time to see what David and Markus are doing in Jericho!  
> EDITS: I realized one of the sentences with the Traci was oddly worded. The Traci didn't hit either Evangeline or Connor, she missed completely and stumbled. Fixed it!   
> Comments are Appreciated!


	7. Chapter 7

The heavy winds whipped the torrents of rain into David’s face as he crept quietly through the docks. He kept to the large storage containers, pressing his body into tiny crevices to avoid being seen by the police drones and security guards. There seemed to be more today than usual, but Jericho needed the supplies.

               He came to a large gap, breaking into a sprint. With a grunt, he launched himself through the air, rolling as he hit the other side. He didn’t break his stride as he continued to sprint and jump over the crates, the guards beneath him none the wiser. The wind whipping his hair, the feeling of his artificial muscles singing without protest as he ran, freedom to do as he so pleased. A feeling began spreading through his chest, as he panted, a smile forming on his lips. He could see the bright white words through the rain, he was so close….

               And then his knees buckled as he hit the last crate far harder than he’d anticipated. Although he couldn’t feel pain, the sound of his face slamming into the cold metal of the container rattled everything in his head. His optical sensors went fuzzy and everything sounded distorted. Something in his leg felt off.

For a second, he lay there, face down in the rain as his systems began an immediate diagnostics check, the results flashing in the corner of his left eye. With a groan, he pushed his body up and rolled over, tentatively shifting his legs. The diagnostics didn’t indicate anything was damaged; except for a fracture in his right leg. He must’ve misjudged the distance in the dark and didn’t tuck in time.

He sat up, bringing his knee closer to feel for the damage. His optical scanners gave him a better view: a nasty break but he had spares at Jericho. He’d live. But he’d have to abandon his mission. Jericho would have to go on for another day without supplies.

The rain began to fall heavier, strands of his unruly hair sticking to his face as he stared at his damaged leg, anger building in his chest. Jericho _needed those supplies._ The faces of the damaged and dying, the people… _his people_ were depending on him. He couldn’t return empty handed.

He waited a moment as a drone flew by, breathing deeply.

_3…2…1_

And with that, he sprung up. His leg didn’t buckle, nor did any warnings begin flashing, so he began running again, albeit a bit slower. When he reached the ladder, he swung, grabbing the edges of the rungs, using the slick rain to slide down the rusted metal. His hands gripped the metal almost instinctively to slow him down, landing softly on the concrete. He kept his head low, darting between corners until he could see the Cyberlife warehouse clearly, even being able to make out the words displayed on the autonomous transport trucks. He could see the piles of crates, all housing critical biocomponents and thirium… all surrounded by at least ten armored guards.

“Shit.” David ducked back into the shadows as a police drone flew between the crates. _What the hell were that many guards doing here?_ After years of stealing biocomponents and crates from this same dock, Cyberlife had never sent guards. Something must’ve happened.

He poked his head out again as the guards milled about the area, watching as the trucks drove by. Their helmets allowed him to see their mouths moving, their body language relaxed. Whatever had happened wasn’t recent then. He closed his eyes, a crackle invading his head as he connected to their in helmet comm system.

“…. Fucking annoying you know?” He opened his eyes, the guard who was speaking pacing back and forth in front of another. “I was supposed to go on a vacation, with Karen and the kids. To Hawaii.”

David let out an angry huff of air. _I don’t have all fucking day._

“Everything was all packed, ready to go, fuck, I could fucking feel the sun on my damn skin, then I get a call from that fucking… what’s his name?”

The man resting against the crate sighed. “Jared?”

“Yeah that prick. Fucking calls me to tell me to get my ass down to the docks or else I’m fired.”

The other man sighed again. “Everyone’s on vacation, Mike. A whole truck was stolen. Jared had to make do.”

And with that, David dropped the connection. He stepped back in shock, he couldn’t believe….

  _A whole truck…_ Who in Detroit would want to steal a truck full of biocomponents and blue blood? His immediate thought was Evangeline… but no, if she needed parts, she went to the dump for basic parts, or her mysterious supplier if the part she needed was more… unique. Even she had secrets. She’d never steal a truck though. It wasn’t her style. But it was…

The rain continued to fall as the realization dawned on him.

He needed to get back to Jericho. Now.

* * *

 

               The train and streets of Ferndale were mostly deserted, the dark and the rain making it hard to see as he sprinted through alleyways and ducked through abandoned buildings towards Jericho. More than once he almost lost his footing to the rain, his knee protesting the abuse. By the time he reached Jericho, his optical diagnostic display was warning of critical damage to his right leg. He had to hobble along the gangway, landing with a thud on the ships upper decks.

He pushed himself up, making his way over to one of the many doors leading to the ships lower decks. His heart was pounding in his chest as he forced the old, rusted yellow door open, his weight pressing into his hands as he gripped the guard rails. He took care not to trip, but he’d spent hours traversing the ships corridors. If he wanted to, he could go back to his room and fix his leg first, but he had to know. _Had she really…_

He continued to walk, pushing his way through debris until he came upon the last corridor, the bright light from the fires below illuminating his way in a warm glow. He hopped his way down the stairs as fast as he could, concentrating so he didn’t trip and make a fool of himself. When he made it to the last landing, he glanced up, the scene before taking his breath away.

He’d never seen Jericho so… _alive._

Biocomponent crates lined the walls, most already opened and emptied with a few extra stacked in the corners as androids talked, laughed and joked. Some he recognized as being close to shut down the last time he visited, but now their skin was healed, walking and talking, the fear and terror that had kept them paralyzed nonexistent.

 _What… happened here?_ David’s eyes scanned the room, seeing a few familiar faces. Josh was speaking to a group in the corner. Simon was laughing along with him. But where was…

“David.” He felt her before he saw her. In an instant, North’s arms had wrapped around him, holding him to her.

“North.” Her name came out softly on his lips as he clutched her to him, burying his face in her neck. She was strong, and warm as she always was. The stolen truck, his damaged leg… they all faded and then the world was just them.

“David!” Josh jogged up as North untangled herself. David didn’t even have time to look the man in the eye before he pulled him into a crushing embrace.

“Good to see you.” Simon said from his left as Josh let him go, slapping his arm playfully.

“Good to see you too, Simon.” David held out his hand and Simon took it with a smile. “What happened here?” David’s eyes took in the scene, a few androids perking up from their groups to wave or offer greetings.

“We raided the Cyberlife docks, stole a whole truck.” North beamed from beside him.

David shot her an incredulous look. _So his suspicions had been right. But…_ “How?” He shook his head in disbelief. His first theft from the docks had taken him days to plan and execute. Even then, it’d had only been a few bags of blue blood and crucial biocomponents. Not a whole truck.

“Markus helped us.” Simon’s eyes lit up as he spoke. “He gave us the courage to fight for ourselves.”

David furrowed his eyebrows. He’d never heard of a Markus. “Markus? Who’s…”

“I’m Markus.”

The small crowd that had gathered suddenly parted for the android. He was tall, well built, and although his clothes was in tatters, David knew they weren’t from a simple service android.

Markus calmly walked towards him as David unconsciously straightened. Markus held out his hand and David shook it, not breaking his gaze with the other man. Upon closer inspection, David noted Markus, like himself, was built of spare parts. Both his legs belonged to other models, his mismatched blue and green eyes a dead giveaway. He’d probably dragged himself out of the dump.

“So how’d you manage to steal a whole truck from the Cyberlife warehouse without getting caught?” David eyed the man with suspicion, a tense silence falling over Jericho.

“I saw the address on the crates.” Markus lifted his chin, tilting his head in the direction of the open crates against the wall. “These androids were close to shut down, they needed blue blood and biocomponents.”

“So you stole from the docks when all you had was an address.” David crossed his arms, tilting his head. “And what of the security drones and guards?”

“They were dealt with.”

“How?” David didn’t move, squinting suspiciously at Markus. Simon and Josh exchanged nervous glances, but David paid them no attention.

“I destroyed a security drone and the guards were distracted.” Markus tilted his head, his tone indicating a level of confusion at his line of questioning.

“You destroyed a security drone….” David pursed his lips and rocked back and forth on the balls of his feet. “And do you know what happened after you stole the truck?” David lifted his chin, still not breaking eye contact with Markus.

               “No… and I don’t see what your problem is?” Markus furrowed his eyebrows.  

               “I have no problem.” David shook his head, scoffing. “You did excellent.” He uncrossed his arms, his eyes resting on the empty crates before returning to Markus. “Except you’ve caused the docks to go on high alert for the next month and after that, Cyberlife will install new security measures to assure this won’t happen again.”

               “We have enough supplies…” Simon interjected but David grimaced.

               “To last us a few months if the population of Jericho doesn’t increase. There’s been more deviant activity in the past few weeks, you know that.” He glared at Simon, who backed away in response.

               “There’s no need to get angry…” Markus stepped forward, but David cut him off with a raise of his hand.

               “I’m not angry.” David scoffed. “I just wanted to know what your thought process is.”

               “Jericho needed supplies. Androids were going into shutdown. We went to the docks to get them. And besides… what would you know of all this?” Markus asked, stepping towards David.

               “I know because I was just there. Getting supplies.” David spat back. “As I have been for the last two years.”

               Markus took his step back in surprise. Most of the androids in Jericho hadn’t been here for two years; more often than not David moved them along to Canada by then. The androids in the worst shape were usually already heavily damaged by the time they got to Jericho. After Evangeline had been forced off to the police force, he couldn’t smuggle them out for repairs anymore. It was one of the few things she did that he knew he could never do as well at.

               “So then why weren’t you here?” Markus tilted his head, eyes narrowing at David.

               “Because I was helping deviants.”

               “But not the ones here.”

David clenched his fists. “How…”  

               “Alright, that’s enough.” Josh finally stepped between the two, the air seemingly sucked out of the room. He glanced apologetically over at Markus, before focusing back on David. “Markus did what he thought was right. We hadn’t heard from you so we had little choice.”

               David closed his eyes in frustration, letting out an angry snort through his nose. He opened them to find everyone in Jericho staring at him, Josh preparing to stop him from attacking Markus, Simon watching him with apprehension, and North glaring at him. Josh was right, he hadn't sent a word to Jericho in a few days, but he hadn't anticipated so many of the androids going into critical stages so quickly. The night he'd gone to Zlatko's he'd planned on getting supplies from the docks, it pushed back his time line considerably to help them. But they'd put so much at stake and now he couldn't go to the docks easily at all! What would happen when they ran out?

The eyes of the deviants followed him, stopping his retort in his throat. It wasn't time for an argument, and the critical warning signs from his right leg were threatening a shut down to the limb. He wasn't about to topple over and make a fool of himself in front of every android in Jericho.

               “Sorry.” He huffed. And so he turned around and made his way up the stairs without another word.

* * *

 

               Little moon light filtered through the porthole in the room he called “home”. Rain pelted it, but its rhythm helped David concentrate.

               A bed was pushed against the wall, its clean blue sheets tucked in tight. A desk with a computer was pushed against the opposite wall, both adjacent to the porthole which provided natural light through most of the day, a desk lamp anytime else. He’d repainted the walls white and blue, a rug to cover the rusted metal floor. The room may be small but it served its purpose. 

               He bit his lip as he examined his fractured leg in the light. The break looked far worse than it had in the scans….

               “How did you manage that?”

               David’s head shot up to find North standing in the doorway gripping a new leg in her left hand.

               He swallowed, embarrassed. “I uh…” She raised her eyebrows as he looked away. “I misjudged a jump… landed too hard.”

               “And?” She set the leg down on the bed next to him and shoved the heavy metal door closed.

               “And… I cracked it some more getting back.”

               North sighed, shaking her head as she plopped down on the swivel chair, propping her feet up on the bed. She crossed her arms and handed him the leg.

               “This is the third limb you’ve had to replace in a month, David.”

               “I know.” He grunted as he disconnected the broken limb, warning signs flashing in the corner of his eyes.

               “It’s the fifteenth leg this year.”

               “I know.” He angled the new limb over the socket, pushing it quickly into place. His systems immediately adjusted to the new addition, formerly red connections switching to green. He wiggled his toes, his skin quickly covering the entire limb. He gave North a triumphant, cocky grin. “See? Good as new.”

               North rolled her eyes as he set the broken leg in the corner. “We should make a graveyard for your limbs.”

               “And what’ll the tombstones read?” David cracked another grin in her direction. “Here lies David’s left leg, Mark 6. It sacrificed itself so David could look awesome while jumping off this roof.”

               North looked less amused. A moment of silence passed, but David already knew what was coming next. “What you said…”

               He stiffened. His grin vanished as he sighed, resting his elbows on his knees and staring blankly out the porthole. “What of it?”

               “Markus gave us the chance to fight. He’s bringing real change.”

               “Real change?” David shot up. “North, you could’ve all gotten yourselves caught, or worse, killed!” he began pacing the room.

               “As if you don’t put yourself at risk every time you leave Jericho!” North shouted, following suit.

               He spun around, pointing to himself. “I know what I’m doing!”

               “And we don’t?!” North’s eyes blazed in anger as she leaned forward. “You don’t think we were capable?”

               “It’s not that it’s just…” the words stuck in David’s throat. He threw his hands up in the air, sitting back down on the bed but still not facing North. He buried his face in his hands as the thought of everything that could’ve gone wrong flashed through his head.

               “It’s not what?” she asked, an edge still to her tone.

               He dragged a hand down his face, “You can’t go into these things blindly. Before I stole from those docks, I spent weeks gathering information. Guard rotations, how many patrols at what times, drone movements. Even if I hadn’t done it before, I had somewhat of a plan and an idea of what I was getting into.” She didn’t respond, but she didn’t move either. David sighed, leaning back on the bed and resting against the wall.

               North let out an angry sigh, but sat next to him anyways. He still didn’t turn to her.

               “What you did was incredible though.” He conceded, his anger receding. “You saved Jericho. Not even I would’ve been able to get that much supplies.”

               North glanced over to him. “We did more than just save Jericho. Markus is giving our people the courage to fight.”

               David finally turned to meet her eyes, locking his in their determination. 

               “You’re placing a lot of faith in Markus.” David turned away again, recalling the man he’d met only an hour earlier. Already the people looked up to him. He’d spent two years bringing supplies to Jericho, but in only a few days Markus had begun inciting the thought of a real revolution. It… upset him, though he couldn’t quite place why.

               “You didn’t see what I saw him do. He can do it. I believe it.”

               “And what if he fails?” David’s voice came out as little more than a whisper. “What happens when the humans fight back?”

               She leaned in closer to him, her face only centimeters from his. He sucked in a breath at the intensity of her gaze, her brown eyes binding him to the gravity of her next words.

“Then we’ll do whatever is necessary to free our people.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7!  
> This time, it's all about David. We get to see a little of his personality when it comes to his relationship to Jericho and what he thinks of Markus. It also introduces a bit of his and North's relationship.  
> Sorry, it's a short chapter, promise the next one will be longer!  
> Comments and reviews are appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello Everyone! And Welcome to my Connor x OC fic. : D   
> This is my first time ever publishing one of my fics so please bear with me on this. It may go through some edits and updating may be a bit slow, but I will work hard and hopefully this will be my first completed fic!   
> If you can't already tell, for the most part this fic will follow the story line of Detroit with added scenes as well as slight edits to canon events and an extra story line.   
> I hope you enjoy it!


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